"Doug!" he yelled and sat up in bed. He panted trying to catch his breath.

"Lawson, you okay?" Jade stroked his back, finding it soaked in sweat.

"Yeah. Fine," he sighed.

Lawson got up and went to the adjoining bathroom. He turned on the sink and splashed his face with water. After he wiped his face and his chest with a towel, he leaned against the sink and pressed his fingers to his eyes. If only he could get the images out.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jade asked, coming into the bathroom with him.

"No. I'm fine. Bad dream is all," he said, tossing the towel on the sink.

"Come back to bed," she grabbed his hand and tugged on it.

"Yes, ma'am," he said with a grin.

"Get your mind out the gutter, cowboy."

"You can get right in there with me," he replied, climbing back in bed and lying back down.

Jade snuggled up to him. "Kyle told me that your friend Doug was killed last year."

"Kyle's a big mouth."

"He was concerned. He said you're not taking it very well."

Lawson rubbed his face. "No, I'm not," he said, turning over and dislodging her from his arms.

Jade put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't shut me out."

"What do you want me to say? My best friend was killed. I don't get a choice in that. I accept it. But it hurts. It hurts like hell. Can we drop it, now?"

"Have you ever thought of seeing someone about it?"

"Jesus! Now you sound like Kyle. I'll deal with it, okay?"

"I'm only trying to help," Jade said shortly.

Lawson sighed and turned back over and took her in his arms. "I know you are, darlin'." He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry for snapping."

"Will you let me?" Jade put a hand on his damp chest. She stroked the wet hair. "You've helped me so much."

"I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Dougie."

"What do you mean?"

"He saved my life." He looked up at her. "Tell me now, how can I get past that?"

"When he was killed; he was saving you?"

"No. It was another time," he said quietly.

"Is that how you got the scar?"

"It would've been a lot worse if it wasn't for him," Lawson said quietly.

"What happened?"

Lawson cleared his throat. "Can we talk about it later?" Jade was taken aback at the amount of pain in his eyes.

"I just can't right now..." he glanced at the clock, "and besides, mom is expecting us downstairs in half an hour for dinner." He rolled off the bed, stood up, and stretched.

"Half the family will be here, I suspect, wanting to get a glimpse of you."

"Of me?!" she asked in surprise, practically jumping out of the bed.

He kissed the tip of her nose. "I don't bring women home. They're curious." Lawson put his hands around her waist and pulled her to him.

Jade bit her lip nervously.

"It'll be fine, darlin'." He hugged her and kissed her forehead before turning to pick up his suitcase.

Jade went to pick up her own suitcase. Lawson put a hand over hers and she looked at him curiously.

"Why don't you go check the closet?" Lawson suggested.

"For what?"

"For something to wear."

"My clothes are in here."

"I'm pretty sure they're in there," Lawson opened the closet door.

She followed him into the walk in closet. She gasped when she saw her clothes hanging on the rack. Her clothes from home. How she missed them!

"Lawson, how did you...?" She stood still in shock for a second and then spun around to kiss him happily.

"Ah, know the right people is all." He patted her lightly on her hip. "Get dressed, darlin'."

"Thank you, Lawson. Really."

He nodded. "No problem," he told her, before walking out.

Jade came out of the walk in closet dressed in her favorite navy blue dress. She slipped on the coordinating navy blue heels she found happily in a box on the floor that had her name on it.

Jade frowned finding the room empty. She went over to the wall with the degree. "Why'd you throw it all away?" she asked it. She shook her head when it merely stared at her. "Harvard University School of Law. Lawson Stone Greves," it was a bit mocking being the only thing on that wall.

There were no other degrees. No awards. The cherry wood dressers were also bare on top. No indication that he lived there. Jade brushed it off. Lawson didn't live there; it was his parent's house. She didn't have anything in her old room at her parent's house, where she once lived. But the degree on the wall bothered her.

Jade wandered over to the bathroom to put on her makeup. When she came out of the bathroom, she realized why the degree bothered her so much. It was in an odd position on the wall. It was high up and to the right. Nail marks were to the left of it, where logically, there were once other items hanging on the wall. She wondered what else could have been on that wall. Why had he taken the other things with him and only left the law degree?