him into a pair of navy blue warm-up bottoms.

Julia felt like she was dressing a child when she pulled a sweatshirt over his head. She was worried and moved at the same time.

Ten minutes later, she had him in her car. With Ben passed out next to her, she flew down I-10, careened off the Schuster exit, then barreled up toward the mountain and the medical center. As soon as she circled into the emergency bay, an orderly came out. In seconds, they had Ben in a wheelchair.

Julia had never been so glad to see Ben grumble. Despite his reluctance to get in the chair, he did.

When they told Julia she had to move the car, the old Julia surged and she tossed the guard the keys.

"Put it anywhere you want, sugar."

The guard's eyes went wide in surprise. But she didn't wait around for him to say yes, no, or get the hell out of his hospital. She hurtled through the whooshing mechanical doors, following her best friend's brother-in-law, whom she had sworn she wouldn't kill.

Please, please, please, she prayed, don't make a liar out of me.

No one wasted a minute. In seconds, the hospital staff had Ben on a table and surrounded like a lab

experiment in science class. When Julia inched closer, a stern-looking nurse scowled at her, then pushed her firmly but gently out of the room. When the door closed behind her, she hated the strange emptiness that she felt. Or maybe it was just fear.

Please let him be okay.

She tried to sit in the waiting room, but wound up pacing. Fortunately, they wheeled him out of the

emergency room thirty minutes later.

The doctor came up to her.

"Are you Mrs. Prescott?"

"Ah, n-" She cut herself off. If she wasn't a family member, they'd no doubt kick her out. "Yes."

"Not to worry," he said then. "He's going to be fine. The wound is aggravated and slightly infected, but it's nothing antibiotics won't clear up quickly. I think his biggest problem is that he's exhausted. It doesn't look to me like he's been sleeping."

It seemed like he had been sleeping, but when she thought about it, she had to wonder. More than once when she woke up in the middle of the night, she had heard him rustling around, working at that computer.

"I'm going to keep him overnight just to make sure. I'm giving him intravenous antibiotics to clear up the infection quickly. I suspect he'll be ready to go home in the morning."

"I'm so glad," she said on an exhale of breath. "Is there anything else?"

"He has to take it easy on that leg."

"I'll do my best to see that he does."

"Good. For now, there's nothing you can do. Best to go home and get some rest yourself."

"I can't leave him here!"

The young doctor debated. "You can sit with him for a bit-how about that?"

A nurse led her to a private room. Ben was already sound asleep, an IV hooked up to his arm. As soon as she was alone with him, she walked over and stood at the edge of the bed.

"You gave me a pretty bad scare," she whispered.

He didn't respond, just lay there looking far more angelic than she knew he was.

Regardless of who or what he was-an import guy, a drug dealer, or just a spoiled rich boy-she

couldn't resist reaching out and running her finger over his forehead, combing those locks of hair back.

"From now on, you have to take it easy," she added, sitting down on the mattress. "Okay?"

She straightened the covers, smoothed the wrinkles, then told herself to leave. In a minute, she assured

herself. But she couldn't seem to take her hand off his chest-as if somehow she could make sure he didn't stop breathing.

Chapter Seven.

He felt pressure on his chest. Though not a bad pres-sure. He felt warm. Soothed somehow. And rested.

He hadn't had one of the dreams.

Slowly, he came out of that comforting place, out of a deep peaceful sleep that he didn't want to let go of. But when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Julia sound asleep, curled at his side, her arm over his chest.

He couldn't have been more surprised, and for half a second he wondered if they had gotten drunk and made the very big mistake of sleeping together.

But then he became aware of the tube stuck in his arm, the stark walls, and the metal side pulled up on the bed.

What the hell?

It took a second to remember. He was in the hospital after collapsing last night. Damn, he hoped it was only last night.

Whatever, he had to admit he felt better than he had in days.

He smiled at the hazy memory of Julia as a warrior, poking and prodding him into her car, then bringing

him here. The woman clearly was great in an emergency. No falling apart for her. Which wasn't a surprise.

He felt the start of a chuckle, but held it back. She looked as exhausted as he had felt.

Unable to help himself, he laid his hand on her hair. That damn bun she'd suddenly been wearing was barely holding on now. And when he allowed himself to stroke the nearly black strands, he couldn't have been more surprised when it tumbled down completely.

His hand went still when he saw that all that beautiful long hair was gone, cut to her shoulders.

"Why?" he asked softly.

But he knew. Her determination to make herself over, as if cutting her hair could help her change.

"Ah, Julia," he whispered.

The door opened, and a doctor walked in.

"Mr. Prescott, I'm Dr. Levin."

Julia was startled awake. She sat up groggily, and Ben could see that she was trying to figure out where

she was, much as he had done seconds before.

When she focused on him, then back at the doctor, then on the way she was curled next to him on the mattress, she did something that if asked, he would have sworn she never would have done. She blushed.

"Mrs. Prescott, I see you didn't make it home last night," the doctor said with an understanding smile.

Ben glanced at Julia and mouthed, Mrs. Prescott?

If possible, her blush got worse.

"But that's all right," the medical man added. "I'm always happy to see couples in this day and age

who are so devoted."

Julia started to scramble off the bed. But Ben caught her hand, holding her there. "Yep, that's us, Doc. Hopelessly devoted."

Julia's mouth dropped open, then she mouthed her response. Hopelessly devoted?

"Wow, you two really are a couple of lovebirds."

Ben and Julia shared a look, a single moment of harmony that they hadn't experienced during the month

and a half they had known each other. But both of them knew how wrong the doctor's assessment really

was.

After a check of all vitals, the doctor allowed Ben to be discharged. But not before providing strict instructions that he was to stay off the leg until Thursday, when the doctor wanted to reexamine the wound.

An hour later, they finished with the business office and were in the car headed for home. They didn't say a word for the first few miles.

"Thanks," Ben finally said.

"Not necessary."

"Sure it is. And I'm going to try to be nicer. Clean up. Put the toilet seat down."

Julia smiled, staring straight ahead. "Based on doctor's orders, you won't be cleaning up anything."