It was cold. Whether by nature or deprivation of fire, it was cold. A low hum buzzed in the corner. My arms were numbly glued to my sides, an IV poking into me. A heart monitor beeped on my left and I expected any minute to hear a flat line. Instead it sped up. The room was blue. Walls, lights, accents. I couldn't lift my head, only roll my eyes to see two professionally wrapped hands on my lap. Both of them were stinging.

For an hour I stayed like that. The standard clock on the wall was the only thing I could watch in my state. Directly eye level so I didn't need to crane my neck from the position I was in. I couldn't move. The room was empty so I couldn't talk. Given the opportunity I guarantee my thoughts would pour out like vomit anyway. The bed I lay in was chipped and scratched. The light directly above my head was flickering. The clock on the wall seemed to be ticking backwards...

My eyes shot open with much more noise to fill my ears. Two nurses worked at the left side of the room, washing instruments and changing my fluid bag. One nurse in flower scrubs came over and began taking off the wrappings on my hands. A mask I hadn't realized was there was removed from my face, cleaned, and restored gently. My right hand donned a deep gash fixed with stitches turned a dark red. My left hand was worse; black and scarred, and resulted in a cramped position when the bandages were off.

The second nurse with pink scrubs reached into a drawer and pulled out a tray of instruments. A flashlight, needles of all sizes, and superfluous items not meant for me. Only then did I realize I was in a hospital. My mind was lagging. I couldn't piece together the chain of events to conjure up my resulting situation. "You had quite the accident I hear," said the pink clad nurse. "A fire, huh? Pretty scary." I remained silent.

"Do you need the tools from room seven?" the other nurse asked at the door.

"No, it's not too bad. She shouldn't need it." The nurse left and the pink one took out a bottle of lotion-like fluid. "Don't worry sweetie, we'll get you cleaned up. We'll get you goin' again."

The lotion burned my hands even more, especially when her gloved hands massaged over the scars. The stinging receded when they were left to dry and a fresh set of bandages were applied. The flower nurse came back to wash her hands again. A conversation started between the two of them but I wasn't listening.

Later I was given a sedative so I would sleep through my healing. It sure did its magic and I was out like a light. Some time later I woke up to the pink nurse changing my mask again. "Oh, did I wake you up? I'm sorry!" She didn't really wake me up but I had no energy to protest. Overall I seemed in the same condition I was in the first time I went to the hospital. Yet, a little better. Sure I was unresponsive, but this time I chose to be.

My eyes rolled around my head seeing much of the same things. Though on a table next to me lay a flower. A rose of white on its side by my heart monitor. The nurse took note of it as well. "I love that flower, roses are my favorite. A friend of yours had it sent in a while ago 'cause you can't have visitors yet. Maybe in a few hours though." The cleaning product dousing the mask filled my throat and I coughed it out. "Whoops! You okay there?" I regained my breath as an answer.

Another hour passed in empty silence. The nurses had left to tend to other patients. I was alone with that clock. The clock that would slowly deem my time here as the final countdown.

The door to my room opened by a doctor, letting someone in. He walked in with a cautious gait, eyes searching me over. When he suspected I was stable he approached me. The doctor left the door open and headed off somewhere else. I wasn't sure if he was allowed to, but he slipped his hands around my mask and pulled it off my face.

"Hey," Angus smiled. I mustered one back. "You okay?" My expression turned downcast. "Figured, dumb question. You uh, sort of got it worse than I did," he shrugged. "Didn't need a bed to stay in. But..." Angus reached into his back pocket and pulled out an inhaler. "Doctor gave me this. Got to use it every once in a while. Course he's gotta give me a hard time about smokin'." I silently laughed as he rolled his eyes. "Glad he ain't my doctor."

"W-Where's...Mike?" I whispered out. His eyes widened and he nodded.

"Yeah uh, the police were gonna give him a restrainin' order-no. Not a restrainin' order..." He shook his head. "Well whatever it was called. Gonna take him back to prison an' courts an' all that. Found him outside the bookstore unconscious. Pieces of glass around him ya' know. We uh, think he jumped out the-ya' know, window an' uh, took his...took his life." My gaze turned to my feet. After months of trying to kill me and my friends, he had actually killed himself instead. I didn't know what to think. "Not uh-not a good thought to be thinkin' but...we don't have to worry about him anymore I guess."

A few minutes of silence passed. Angus sat on the edge of my bed, reaching a hand up to brush my hair behind my ears. His touch was warm; a nice change from the arctic temperature. His fingers came to rest on my cheek and he stared at them. A solemn expression claimed his face before he looked at me. "I'm real sorry 'bout this, it-this never shoulda happened ya' know? I mean...I don't know what the fuck problem he had with ya' but that ain't right." I didn't answer. All my encounters with Mike had me utterly frightened and this hit home. A man had deliberately tried to end my life and in the process killed a friend, committed arson, and jumped to his death. This could have happened to anyone, but I should have solved it better. Why wasn't an order placed earlier? Maybe the idea of him being in jail had lowered our guards. We'd no idea he'd be such an escape artist. There wasn't a whole lot of protection sent out for us either. Again, probably because he was put in prison, we thought we'd be safe. My eyes glistened with memories of him and even more so of Justice. Her family was unable to pay for a funeral and ended up dropping the whole thing. A thumb brushed against my cheek. Suddenly it was wet and I felt more tears coming down.

"Hey. It's okay. Where's your smile then, huh?" Angus gave me a kiss on my nose. "That's not a smile," he told me. I mustered a small one earning me a kiss on my forehead. "You can do better than that!" Soon my face was attacked with kisses making me laugh. I moved my head hoping to avoid a few, but in the process one landed on my lips by accident. Only when a few seconds passed did he pull away. A few more passed, each of us with a nervous stare. Something glinted in his eyes, some emotion he had kept hidden for decades. I avoided his stare as he moved an inch closer.

"Whatcha waitin' for Ang?" Our attention derailed to the other side of the room. There Bon stood with the cheekiest smile one could make. One foot propped him up against the wall behind him and his arms were arrogantly crossed. Angus put some distance between us.

"Get over here ya' buggy mate," he said. Bon accepted the offer and sat on Angus' lap. Angus stared at the sly smile and the arms around his neck.

"Tell me a story, Daddy."

"Fuck no," Angus said shoving Bon away. The rejected man laughed and straightened himself out.

"That's it, I'm movin' with Mum."

"Go right a-fuckin'-head," Angus answered holding his hands up. A small smile crept on his face too. Bon came to the other side of the bed and lay beside me, one arm draped lazily around my head.

"So Angie, ya' gonna smooch?" he asked batting his eyelashes.

"Might be a tad strange if you're on the bed too," Angus replied with a grin. "Besides, thought you discouraged the idea of us." Bon shrugged.

"Gave up. You two are real stubborn cookies, ya' know that?" Angus smiled at him and ruffled my hair.

"Kinda go off each other. One says no, the other will too."

"Sometimes," I added.

"Yeah sometimes," Angus laughed. Bon smiled and twirled a lock of my hair between his fingers.

"Good to see ya' again kiddo. You're a real tiger ya' know. Poisoned and burned alive an' you're still kickin'. Maybe I oughta take some notes," he laughed.

"You kept your promise," I said earning a frown of confusion. "You came back."

"Oh, sure I did. I always come back ya' know." His eyes dimmed. "Be nice to come back all the way, anyhow."

"Should come back with everyone in the room," Angus suggested. "Have a small get together." Bon raised an eyebrow.

"Should I show up with tea an' crumpets an' my Betty Crocker apron then?" Angus laughed. "Get together, you just pull that out of your ass, or what?"

"No, no. Just meant they'd wanna see you too."

"Say that then." Bon's attention once again turned to me. "When ya' breakin' outta here, then?" I glanced at Angus.

"Two weeks?" he asked. "'T's what Mr. Doctor told me."

"Probably two weeks then," I agreed.

"Damn, that's a long time."

"Too long. You'd think I'd be-" I held an arm up to cough into and Angus gave me my mask. One...two...three breaths. "You'd think I'd be better in a week."

"Not with that cough. What's up with your hands? Angus get outta line?"

"Trust me, I'd be worse off than she is," Angus laughed.

"No uh, one hand is burnt, the other was cut open."

"Jesus, what are you, an apple pie?" Bon tapped my right hand. "They hurt?"

"Hell yes."

"Sorry 'bout that. Well, I'd best skedaddle. Found a cutie by the waitin' room." Bon stood up from the bed.

"You lost your mind Bonnie?" Angus asked.

"I can have a look can't I? Just can't touch." Bon winked and I knew...he would still try. He left the room, then came back a minute to close the door. An upturned thumb showed in the window. Angus shook his head.

"Wanker," he mumbled with a smile. His eyes met mine and his smile grew. "How 'bout him, huh?"

"Nuts," I answered.

"He's gonna scare that poor girl shitless, I just know it." Angus tilted his head and his smile fell a little. Thoughts of God knows what were soaring through his head. I knew because I felt the same way. For the longest time we stared at each other. Second by second Angus inched his way closer until his nose touched mine.

"Hello," I said.

"Hey." His eyes moved downwards then flicked back to my eyes. "You see your flower?" I nodded. "I remembered." With that, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against mine. Every moment we'd ever spent together flashed through my mind. Every laugh, every heartbreak. From the surprise in my home state to the troubles at Christmas. Ellen's words of, "I'm allowing one more" echoed in my brain. Before I could dwell on our promise he broke away. Eyes still closed, heart sprinting around the world, nose resting on mine. "Just-just one more..."