Wyatt stayed by Emma's side. He didn't care if the EMTs noticed her hand gripping around nothing but air. There was no way he could let her go. She flatlined in the ambulance, and he nearly went ballistic, ripping at his hair as they used the defibrillator. For the next hour, he was in more emotional agony than the last two and a half months combined.

He watched as doctors and nurses swarmed around her, yelling out stats and vitals he didn't understand. He heard pneumothorax, shock, and frenetic beeping from the heart monitor. This was why loved ones were not allowed past the waiting room.

When they took her into surgery, he couldn't stand it and went to see what happened to the cop who seemed to be her friend.

"What happened? Where is she? Is she okay?" The wild set of black curls that came running down the hallway was the very last person Wyatt ever expected to see. Why the hell was the Dockside bartender at the hospital?

"Jessie, thank fuck. Someone ran her off the road," the cop said, and Wyatt watched as her strong façade crumbled, and she started hysterically crying in Jessie's arms. "I heard her screaming. She called me, and I drove as fast as I could, but Jess, she was screaming. Emma was so scared."

Someone ran her off the road? He had thought it was just a car accident. What the hell was going on here?

Jessie started weeping as they held each other. "Do we know anything? Will she be alright?"

"I don't know."

"Is this because of Wyatt?" Jessie hissed angrily, but there was fear in her eyes.

Now, they had his full attention.

"He's here, Jess. I saw... when I arrived, her body was floating in the air. He carried her out of that car. I saw it."

"Are you fucking serious?" Jessie gasped, her eyes going round with surprise even as a smile played at the corner of her lips.

"I kinda thought she made that bit up, but I liked her too much to care, so I went with it, but I know what I saw. A very invisible someone or something got her out of that mangled wreck and laid her on the road."

"Holy shit. I always believed her. I thought you did too?"

"I did, and I didn't. Her love story with a ghost was interesting, and it was one mystery I didn't want to get into. But he is very real."

"Where is he now?" Jessie asked, looking around like Wyatt might suddenly appear.

"I have no idea."

"Do you think she was attacked for looking into his murder?"

"Dammit Emma, I told you to leave that alone," Wyatt grumbled.

"The timing is too coincidental. Taylor lays into her at the bar, she drops the Colacurcio name, and four hours later someone is trying to kill her."

"Taylor? What the fuck?" Wyatt snarled.

"You think he called the mafia to take her out?" Jessie whispered.

"Mafia!" Wyatt choked.

"If he thought his role or theirs was going to come to light in Wyatt's murder, damn straight I think he called them. That slimeball is all about covering his own ass. I told Emma to leave it alone."

"Cam, you can't really fault her. He had her pinned to the wall and was threatening her life. I probably would have used my only leverage as well."

"Little bird, what the hell has been going on here?" Wyatt asked, stunned by the conversation between the two women.

"She's been in my self-defense class for six weeks," Cam grumbled.

"And she'd been in my bar for two hours. Our girl is a lightweight, and I did not go easy on those G&Ts. A panicky Emma with booze in her... I'm just glad her sass still worked. I'm getting that hall light fixed tomorrow morning and putting an emergency lock with an alarm on the back door. She's the third woman to get harassed by the bathrooms, so it's as much my fault."

"Assholes being assholes is not your fault, but we can do something to help their victims. Call Wick and have him put in a security camera back there. Charge it to me if you don't have it."

"If I charge it to you, he'll comp the damn thing," Jessie smirked.

"Probably," Cam muttered, unimpressed. "I need to run to the office and get the paperwork started. Can you stay here?"

"I won't leave her. But what about River?"

"Who?" Wyatt questioned.

"Damn. He's out at her place again, isn't he. Call Katie."

"He? Who the hell is he? And who's Katie?"

"God, she's going to be so worried about Em," Jess frowned.

"Yeah," Cam said, unclipping a ring at her belt. "Here, Emma's house keys. See if Katie can pack a few things for when she wakes up."

"Poor River," Jess said, looking weepy again as she took the key ring.

"Who the hell is River?" Wyatt growled.

"Thanks, Jess. Call me the second you know anything."

"I will," she promised with a sad smile.

Jess immediately pulled out her cell to call Katie. She had barely said 'Emma,' 'accident,' and 'hospital' before staring at a blank screen. "You are loved, Emma Porter," Jess sighed, slipping her phone back in her pocket.

"You're all friends," Wyatt said softly. "Good for you, little bird. But River better keep his distance. Not sure I can handle seeing another man with you, not yet. Maybe not ever. And who the hell is Colacurcio? Why is my brother attacking you? And what does all of this have to do with my murder?"

Sitting by her side, Wyatt was a wreck. The idea of killing someone had flitted through his mind once or twice in a bout of anger, but there was never any substance to it. This was different. Seeing her small, abused body asleep on the bed with machines beeping around her, this time it was a vow. Whoever did this to his little bird was going to die, and it would be by his hand.

She just needed to wake up.

Wyatt rarely left Emma's room, only popping out when he felt changes and commotion. Katie turned out to be a highly demonstrative redhead who went on and on about River's emotional state after losing someone so recently. She said something about him and Emma trauma bonding. Apparently, this guy loved Emma and would never be the same without her. It made Wyatt sick, but again he debated if leaving would be better for his little bird. She had moved on, and if he was a good man, he wouldn't interrupt that.

By afternoon, Cam had become Detective Lacey, and she was all business. There was a stalwart cop stationed outside of Emma's door, local reporters trying to sneak in the hospital, and a steady stream of nurses and doctors all checking on the battered, unconscious woman.

"Hey, you get any sleep?" Cam asked a very groggy Jessie.

"No. Katie was with me most of the morning. She left for Emma's a couple hours ago."

"Why don't you go home and take a break. A shower and fresh clothes will make you feel better," Cam suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. Want me to bring you a coffee?"

"Maggie's?"

"Is there any other coffee?"

"Emma's," Cam sighed. "You know she made that maple whipped cream from scratch. Seriously, how does someone make whipped cream?"

"Stick with fighting crime," Jessie laughed tiredly. "I'll bring you a salted caramel macchiato when I get back."

"Extra caramel, extra whip."

"I'm well aware," Jessie called over her shoulder.

"I've missed Emma's food," Wyatt sighed.

"Detective Lacey?" a young cop called, getting her attention. "Ms. Porter's car is now at the station. Forensics is starting on it any minute. Chief says we can't pull in Taylor Scott based only on a verbal altercation at a bar, but he did have someone do a drive-by. Mr. Scott's black BMW is parked outside his building, and there's not a scratch on it."

"He's an asshole, but he's not that stupid. Taylor wouldn't use his own car to run her down. I don't even think he did it. My hunch is he had someone else do it."

"With all due respect, so far most of what we have are your hunches. I'm a believer in gut feelings, so just let me know when there's something to follow up on."

"Will do. Thanks, Myers."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Wyatt snarled as if the man in question could hear him.

"Detective Lacey," Mike waved, his face pinched with worry. "Is it true? Did someone try to kill her?"

Cam gave him an irritated once over before offering a tight nod.

"Listen, I know you don't care for me, but Emma's a good woman. Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah, make sure you're not a suspect this time," she snapped.

"For fuck's sake, just tell me if she's alright," he begged.

"No," Cam and Wyatt chorused.

"She's the only person who ever believed me," he said miserably. With a shake of his head, Mike turned on his heel to leave.

"Mike," Cam called to his retreating back. "We don't know. She's alive, but we don't know."

When Cam's voice cracked, Wyatt recognized his old friend. Mike's face softened, and it was clear he felt something. He cared. For some reason, Emma mattered to him, and Wyatt wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"I'll go get some food for everyone. Be back in an hour," he stated with an appreciative nod.

Wyatt returned to Emma's side. No one knew anything, so the most important thing right now was her. It was late afternoon, and all Wyatt had heard since morning was the steady beep of the heart monitor and the rush of air through the face mask. Cam and Jessie had both been in to see her, a weeping Katie had popped in with Emma's black duffel and abruptly left, Mike stopped by and placed a kiss on her forehead that made Wyatt see red, but she was still out.

"I'm so sorry, little bird. I never should have left you," he said for the hundredth time. "And now I'm not sure I should come back. But I can't leave again. It was too hard the first time."

When he spoke, there was a slight squeeze to the hand that had been holding hers for hours. He leapt to his feet, leaning over the bed and stroking her hair.

"Emma, baby, can you hear me?"

"Hmm," she hummed, leaning into his touch.

"Sweetheart, it's time to wake up now. Hey, there you are. God, I missed those pretty blue eyes."

"Wyatt?" she croaked, her mouth dryer than burnt toast. Emma forced her scratchy eyes to open further and gasped when she saw the man in front of her as clearly as anything else in the room. His touch was warm and solid, and his voice was exactly as she had imagined, deep, slightly rough. She reached up to pull the mask off her face, but he stopped her.

"You need that right now, baby. Leave it be until the doctor says otherwise."

"Doctor? I'm not dead?"

"No, little bird. You're very much alive."

"But how are you here?"

"I felt you. When you crashed, I felt it. I came back immediately."

"But how are you here? I see you."

"Ah, I've had some time to think about that. When I pulled you from the RAV, you had no pulse. Detective Lacey showed up just as I laid you on the street. She started CPR and got an ambulance there, but you died, little bird. I'm not sure how it works, but I think you connected with the other side or something like that."

"Will it last?"

"I don't know. I hope so," he said, kissing her forehead. "I'm going to buzz the nurse. They need to know you're awake."

For the next hour, Emma was poked, prodded, questioned, and scanned. Luckily there was so much morphine in her body, reality sat on the edge of insanity, and she half wondered if she was imagining Wyatt in the corner of the room. She had yearned for him for so long, it very well could be the amazing drugs.

"Emma, can you hear me?"

She nodded to the gray-haired man in scrubs, but even he reminded her a bit of Gepetto, and she hoped Jiminy Cricket was here too.

"Good. I'm Doctor Hayes. You don't have any listed emergency contacts, so is it okay if Detective Lacey comes in?"

"My friend," Emma said through the mask, and Wyatt smiled softly, or she thought he did.

"Hey Em, you're awake," Cam quietly greeted, walking over and taking her hand.

"Friend," Emma smiled.

"Yeah, babe. I'm your friend."

"Well as her friend, you may need to remember some of this. We'll go top down. Emma, you have a mild concussion which is the good news. You've got three cracked ribs and a large pneumothorax, fancy for air around the lungs that caused your left to fully collapse and put pressure on your right. We've put a chest tube between your ribs to drain that air out and let your lungs fully reinflate. This is why you need the oxygen mask for now."

"Will her lungs heal?" Cam asked.

"Absolutely. Tomorrow, I'll switch the mask for a nasal cannula and that will make talking easier. We should be able to remove the tube in the next two to three days. You may want to hold a pillow to your chest if you're going to cough or sneeze for the next week or so, but that should be all that's required.

"The bigger problem is your left leg. You've got a displaced tibial fracture, fancy talk for a broken shin bone where the ends don't line up. I've got it in a splint for now, but we really need to take you in for intramedullary nailing. It sounds unpleasant, and it is, but it's also the option with the fastest and most successful recovery."

"What is intra-blah-dee-blah nailing?" Cam asked.

"We need to align the bone, and the best way to do that is to go through the top of the knee, put a rod down the center of the tibia, and screw it into place."

"Christ. Will she be able to walk again?"

"She'll be able to do everything again and much faster and more reliably than if you splint and cast. Either way, you'll have pain, Emma, but we can manage that. With the surgery, you'll use crutches for the next few days with minimal movement, wear a boot for two to six weeks, have some physical therapy, and the bone will heal in four to six months. If all goes well during that time, we can remove the nail typically within a year."

"Okay," Emma said, envisioning her leg as a miniature house. "Will little people live in there? Cam, I see Wyatt. Do you think he's here?"

"Who's Wyatt?" the doctor asked, confused.

"Her ex. They may be getting back together. It was our final conversation before the accident," Cam explained with a shrug.

That had Wyatt perking up, and he wondered if it was a lie or the truth. Emma's next word made him think it was the former.

"River!" she cried. "I want to see River."

"You'll see him soon, love," Cam soothed, reaching for her hand.

"When she sees pink elephants, the drugs are in full effect," he chuckled warmly. "We need the go ahead on this surgery."

"If it's her best option at healing and running again, do it. She would want that."

"Alright then, I'll send a nurse in with the forms and we'll get her ready."

The next forty-eight hours were mostly filled with sleep. Emma was out of it, and Cam or Jessie stayed by her side with random visits from Mike, Katie, and even Ms. Sherman from the library. Jessie had confiscated Emma's phone and placed a call into her work. A few hours later two large bouquets of flowers arrived with cards—one from Mr. and Mrs. Harper and one from a Becky Wright. He recognized the name of her boss and felt a satisfied warmth in his chest knowing she had more people out there who cared. Though Emma had plenty of support, Wyatt never left, holding her hand or stroking her hair.

"You're here, aren't you?" Jessie asked late the second night.

There was nothing to lose, so Wyatt tapped the wall twice. The poor girl nearly came out of her skin with how fast she jumped up from the chair.

"Jesus, how the hell did she just go with that? No offense. She told us the whole one knock, two knock thing. If that had been me, I would have run from the house screaming."

"Pretty sure, I would have too," he chuckled.

"Oh hey, if you can use a tablet, you can use a phone," she said, taking out her cell. She opened a typing app and laid it on Emma's bed. When he picked it up, she squealed again and stared at the floating cell with both fear and awe.

Wyatt was fairly sure if she were on his side of the bed by the door, Jessie would have bolted, but as it was, she would have to run towards him to leave. This made him smirk.

'What happened? I left and everything changed.'

"Dude, about that. Not cool. Cam tried to break into her house when the girl went MIA for two straight weeks. Then she had to call me in after finding Emma a complete mess. Girl hadn't spoken to a soul or left her house in sixteen days. She had a standing order for cereal and basically rabbit food to be delivered to her door. It was bad.

"So if you plan on bouncing, do it now. We'll tell her it was the drugs. You were never here. Because if you hurt her like that again, I'll hunt your ghostly ass down and send you on to hell."

Wyatt was torn between grinning at her fierce protection of his little bird and tearing into himself for causing her so much pain. She had lied, betrayed his trust, and worse, sacrificed her future to love him. He really shouldn't have come back. Emma had built a new life. She had done exactly what he had wanted for her, except continuing her search into his murder.

'She lied to me, again. Digging into my death has caused all of this. I thought if I left, she would leave it alone. Learn to live.'

"I get the whole 'learn to live' thing. Your little bird has definitely been spreading her wings. More gumption, sexier clothes, bigger smiles. That hospital gown does her no favors, but our girl has been getting curvier in all the right places, no thanks to you.

"There are two main ways girls handle broken hearts. They starve, or they eat. Your girl is the former. Luckily, she can be plied with ice cream and loaded french fries. Emma is healing, moving forward."

'And has she moved forward with River? And if he means so much, why hasn't he come to see her?'

The laugh that burst out of Jessie's mouth made his jaw clench. "You jealous?"

'Just don't want to interrupt something. Who is he? Is he... good to her?'

"Very. As for who he is, you'll have to talk to Emma about that. Back to the lying bit. Dude, get over yourself. We both know you didn't split because she lied about solving your murder. You ran because she fell in love with you. My question is do you love her?"

'Yes.'

"I knew it! I told her that too."

'It seems unfair to come back now. I put her through all of this, and she's thriving. I should walk away... but I can't.'

"She wouldn't want you to. Just last night she was saying how much she still missed you."

"Who are you talking to? Holy fuck," Cam asked, coming in the door before she froze in place at the sight of a floating cell phone. The carboard tray of coffees nearly dropped to the floor, but Wyatt caught the edge, taking them from her.

"Cam, meet Wyatt. Wyatt, the third member of our girl band, Cameron Lacey. She was also the lead detective on your case and is partly to blame for Emma's determined digging."

"Hey, that's not fair. ... No, wait. It's fair. That's true. Give me my coffee," she grouched, pulling a cup from the tray that looked more like a dessert. "And why am I the third member? Technically, you joined Emma and me."

Wyatt passed the remaining coffee to Jessie who happily took it from him.

"Figure of speech," Jess smirked. "We all know you're the lead."

"So, uh, what'd I miss?" Cam asked, casting a wary gaze in Wyatt's direction.

"I was just telling Wyatt he better do right by our girl because she's becoming a total little sassy badass and doesn't need fresh heartbreak. Oh, and he admitted that he loves her."

"Of course he does. That was obvious."

'Obvious how?'

"To prove you existed, Emma let us read your conversations on the tablet," Cam shrugged.

"She what?" he yelled.

"Before you type out some ragey message, remember I said the girl was messed up. That was the first night we found her in the house. Pretty sure she was to the point of wondering if she made you up herself."

"True. Also, she was so not thinking clearly. You should have seen her face when she realized all that sexy stuff we read."

"Ha, that was comedic gold," Jessie laughed. "I so don't remember you having that much game in high school, as an adult either. Death has done a boy good."

"For fuck's sake," Wyatt muttered, having no idea how to address this.

"Wow, I can almost hear his brain breaking," Cam smirked. "News flash, girls talk about their sex lives, especially if it was earth shattering, ruined for all other men or... ghosts in your case, sex."

"And double extra especially if it's while crying because said life altering sex was with your ex," Jessie added with an emphatic nod.

"Don't like the 'ex' label, but feeling a bit better now," he grinned.

"And now I hear his ego exploding," Cam deadpanned.

'You hear a lot.'

She barked out a laugh. "Cop and woman, so yeah."

'What have you heard about my murder?'

"Fuck," she muttered, looking at her feet. That was not the reaction he expected.

"Cam, stop blaming yourself," Jessie told her.

"Wyatt, I owe you an apology. Your girl here is better at police work than the professionals. She found out Mike, Lisa, and Taylor all had false alibis. Landers was always my pick for this. He made the most sense, but Emma didn't believe he could kill you, and now I don't either."

"What?" Wyatt breathed, shock hitting his gut.

"Oh my god, that boy of his, so cute. I was there the last time he and Emma talked, and that man most definitely did not hurt a hair on your head. The whole town has practically shunned him, and it's blowing back on his kid."

"You should know, Emma confronted him, and he told her he called off his wedding, said he wouldn't marry Lisa until you came around to the idea. Your bitch ex freaked out on him, so he got stupid drunk and stayed that way for damn near thirty-six hours. His pops found him passed out in his own puke. You were already gone by that point," Cam said.

"Fuck, Mike. I'm so sorry, man," Wyatt sighed.

'So who killed me?'

"Best guess, your brother's loan shark or the enforcer that were in town with him. He owed a lot of money, and they were his alibi, conveniently in his office just minutes from your boathouse."

Cam proceeded to lay out everything Emma had put together with timing, the tide charts, and even her digging in Seattle. His little bird hadn't backed down. If anything, she doubled her efforts. Tay's fucking bad habits got him killed. That explained his brother's messed-up headspace and increasing aggression since it happened. But going after Emma was too far.

'So how do we protect her now?'

"You sticking around?" Cam asked sternly.

'If I have it my way, I'll never leave her again.'

"Then that's how we protect her. Someone stays with her at all times. I'll get Wick to put a full security system in at her house. And I will find who ran her off the road. That fucker is going down."

'If you don't, I will, and I won't be calling the police when I do.'

"Can't arrest a ghost. You do you, Wyatt."

The next time Emma awoke, the girls had stepped out, and Wyatt was happy to have her to himself. The doctor had come in and switched her oxygen mask for the nasal breathing tubes so that she could talk more easily. Emma was still groggy and the world felt a little mushy around the edges, but she definitely saw Wyatt sitting by the bed. There was no doubt in her mind that she could feel his hand holding hers. He came back. He was really here.

"Am I dead?"

"Still alive, little bird. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a semi carrying vodka and drank it all."

"Not so bad then?" he grinned.

"I've been worse. No, that's not true. I could imagine worse."

"There you go. Here, drink," he said, holding a straw to her parched lips. Emma pulled in the cool water, sighing in relief as it slid down her scratchy throat.

"Thanks. You came back. But you left. You left me," Emma wheezed, her eyes burning.

"I'm so sorry."

"I'll never lie again. I promise. Please, don't leave me," Emma cried, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes and slipping into her hair.

Alarmed, Wyatt stood, placing both hands on her cheeks to swipe the evidence of her pain away. "Shh, shh, baby. I'm not leaving you. Ever. I'll never leave you again. I didn't stay away because you lied, little bird. That upset me, yes. I was angry, but that's not why I didn't come back. I wanted you to live, my love. I wanted you to spread those wings and enjoy all life had to offer, including the love of a man who was actually here. Who could give you what I couldn't."

"But that's not possible."

"What's that?"

"No man could give me what you did. You gave me life, Wyatt. Before you, we were the same. I had been a ghost, floating through life unseen, unheard. Then you saw me, you made me feel. Even if I only imagined your love, it was enough."

"You didn't imagine it, little bird. I think I fell for you when you decided to leave your yoga mat rolled out under the window. You said you might just convert that entire room into your personal yoga space, and I was so proud. Each day, I watched you grow stronger. Each step made me love you a little more."

Emma's face felt funny, but she was sure it was stretched with some semblance of a smile. At least that's what she felt on the inside.

"I prefer to enjoy all life has to offer with you rather than without you," she told him. Wyatt didn't need the tired smile to feel the joy radiating from her. Those clear aqua eyes said it all, but he still couldn't stop his next words.

"Then we should probably talk about River," he said, instantly dampening the mood.

"What about him?" Emma's eyes went huge, her worry clear, and he wondered if they had been having two different conversations.

"If you've found someone new, I don't want to get in the middle of that. Having the love of a real man who can give you a life is too important."

"Oh," Emma drawled, biting her lip. She should tell him, put Wyatt out of his misery, but he did shred her heart not too long ago. He could sweat a little more. "I understand. Could you do me one favor?"

"Anything, little bird."

"Meet him. Relationships have never been easy for me, and I value your thoughts."

If Emma wanted his opinion on this new guy, he sure as hell would give it to her, and he wouldn't sugarcoat it. When he nodded, she reached for her phone, sending off a text. It pinged less than a minute later, and her radiant smile was a swift kick to his balls. This guy made her happy.

"He'll be here in an hour."

"I'm already biased. If he cares for you, he should have been here already."

"There are special circumstances. You'll see," she smiled, far happier than he could understand given the situation.

⚞❖⚟

"Ms. Porter?" Emma's day nurse called, opening the door to her room. "You have a special guest. Are you up for seeing him?"

"Oh yes, please!"

'What the fuck?' Wyatt grumbled in his mind. 'Who the hell is this guy?'

"River," she called out, pure delight wrapped around his name.

A heart-wrenching whine was followed by a giant bundle of fur rushing the bed. Katie pulled the leash back, and Wyatt stood with his mouth hanging to his chest. The dog was clearly distressed and relieved all at once, and they worked together to safely get his front paws up on the bed. Wyatt watched as the adoring dog sniffed every part of Emma, and happy tears dripped down her face as she stroked him .

"I missed you so much. I'm so very sorry I didn't come home to you that night. But I'm okay. I'll be home soon, I promise," she cooed, burying her face in his neck.

Wyatt swore the dog was hugging her, his giant head resting on her shoulder.

"Wyatt, meet River," Emma said, looking up at him.

"Wyatt? As in ghost, Wyatt? He's here?" Katie screeched, her eyes ping-ponging around the room.

"He pulled me from the car," Emma told her quietly, her gaze never leaving his.

"But I thought you couldn't see him?"

"Now I can. We think because I died for a minute it shifted something. He's as real to me as you are."

"Whoa. Um, hi Wyatt. I'm Katie, new friend, pet sitter, and owner of Paws for Life. I've heard so much about you," she grinned awkwardly.

"He says hello. I'm so sorry to ask this, Katie, but could you give us a few minutes?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll go raid the vending machines."

"Thank you," Emma said, squeezing her friend's hand.

"So, River's a dog," Wyatt grinned.

"He's so much more," Emma smiled. "Will you help me move over so he can get up here?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. He's huge."

"He won't hurt me. He's far too smart for that."

"Em..."

"Wyatt, help me, or I'll do it myself."

He chuckled. Jessie said she had more gumption, and it was true. The dog tracked Wyatt's every move, whining softly when Emma grunted as he helped move her to one side of the bed. While River did seem intelligent, Wyatt still thought this was a dumb thing to do.

"Can you touch him?" she asked.

"I can usually touch animals."

"Will you help him up?"

Wyatt sighed, moving over to where the dog was still half on the bed. He held out his hand, allowing River to give him a sniff. When Emma invited the enormous creature up, he was amazed the dog didn't jump and crush her. Instead, he tried to slowly lift himself, whining plaintively until Wyatt gave his backend a boost. As Emma had said, River carefully situated himself along her right side, resting his head in her lap.

"You got a dog," he stated with a half-grin, stroking River's back.

"I did," she smiled and then proceeded to tell him all about her companion.

⚞❖⚟

Emma laid in that bed for eight days before the doctor finally cleared her to leave. By then, the small room was filled with flowers, several from locals she hardly knew and even a bouquet from Mr. and Mrs. Murdock with an oblique note. 'Another headline we didn't want to read. You have my number.' Apparently attempted murder always made the front page in small towns, but Emma didn't feel the need to request the Senator's help.

Her friends were there every minute of visiting hours and often long after. Much to the nurses' annoyance, Cam made sure a steamy americano from Maggie's showed up every morning, and Jessie kept Emma's curves on target with ample bar food. Katie and River made three more appearances, wooing the disgruntled staff, and Wyatt only left her side if Mike showed up. He wasn't ready to see him, especially when it was obvious he cared for Emma.

The time was exactly what Wyatt and his little bird needed. He told her all about not understanding the hype of Machu Picchu, how boring the Eiffel Tower was without her, sitting in the middle of a blizzard in the Swiss Alps, and moping on many, many beaches throughout the Caribbean. It was all utterly pathetic, and Emma loved hearing every word.

Wyatt enjoyed making her smile as he joked about the abominable snowman, repulsive love birds in Paris, giant jungle spiders, and sitting on the ocean floor with a pissed off shark. Everything was true except the yeti.

Emma explained why she had lied and told him every single tiny detail she could think of from the moment he left. Seeing Wyatt's expressions made communicating so much easier. He was exactly what she had imagined from his pictures, but it was like going from analog to digital.

She could now see his cinnamon eyes with mahogany flecks. And his beard wasn't unkempt. It was purposefully scruffy, like week-long growth that had been manicured. His dark chocolatey hair had little flips and curls at the ends that made it stick up, like the perfect bedhead. And while she had thought he was big before, now she could see Wyatt was huge.

He was not impressed with the plain white T-shirt and old jeans he was stuck in for eternity, but she didn't mind in the least. The short sleeves of the cotton shirt bunched up and strained against his rolling biceps, and don't get her started on his pants. They hung just the way comfy old jeans should on a man with enough bulk to fill them. But she did agree his underwear choice was unfortunate that day. 'Take the Bait' would forever be on his waistband with the gaping mouth of a fish right over his cock.

More than seeing or hearing, it was touching that changed everything for both of them. Wyatt loved being able to talk to Emma, and having her see more than his clothes moving around made things a lot easier, but feeling her soft skin under his fingers, smoothing the hair off her forehead, kissing her lips, it was the feel of her that allowed him to love her like he wanted. She could cling to him if need be. He could hold her. They could walk hand in hand. This went a long way in letting him protect and provide for her. A relationship was finally possible in his mind.

"You ready to go home?" Jessie asked.

"More than ready. It's going to be a very long time before I can look at broth or gelatin again."

"I'll be sure to bring a Jello mold to your next dinner party," Cam joked.

"And I'll be sure to serve you tofurky with raw kale."

"Peanut butter fudge ice cream is already stocked in your freezer," Cam grinned. "And I'm giving you a police escort home."

"With the lights and siren and everything?" Emma sassed with mock enthusiasm.

"Get in the fucking wheelchair before I tell them to keep you longer for brain damage."

"You wouldn't," Emma gasped, and Cam just waggled her brow.

Wyatt loved watching them interact. His little bird had changed a lot since she showed up last September.

"Here," Jessie said, coming to help her off the bed.

"It's okay. Wyatt has decided I can't walk," Emma grumped as he lifted her and gently sat her in the chair.

"Floating Emma is my favorite Emma," Jessie laughed.