At that moment, Joanne's face said "I won't recognize you even if we did run into each other".

Brian did not get mad at all. He crouched down steadily. "Your brother sold you out ages ago. I already know that you went there to see me."

Joanne's eyes widened in disbelief. Then, she blushed.

She hurriedly tried to explain. Then again, it was obvious at this point that no explanation would serve any purpose other than to make her look even guiltier.

She turned her face away awkwardly. "What else did my brother say to you?"

Her greatest fear was that Chris had spilled her greatest and innermost secret. If that was the case... How else was she going to play this game in the future?

A smirk formed on Brian's lips. "What else are you hiding from me?" he asked.

Covert joy crept onto Joanne's lips at those words. "So that's the only thing my brother had told you?!" she exclaimed, then realized her slip of the tongue the moment the words left her mouth. She hurried out a denial. "Nothing! There's nothing else! I'm not like you after all. How can I possibly have that many things to hide from you?"

The smile on Brian's lips turned cryptic.

Still, he decided not to call Joanne out on her lie; he wanted to hear those words from Joanne herself. Then again, considering Joanne's personality, she might not tell him any time soon.

Well, he would let her have her fun first.

It was just like what Chris said: if all else failed, just take the hard approach.

...

Both Gavin and Chris had a flight to catch at eight-thirty that night. They both came by to have dinner with Joanne before heading to the airport. Joanne did not expect Brian to be leaving as well.

"I have to return to the hotel for a video conference meeting," Brian said, "Do you want to stay here, or do you want to come with me?"

"I'm still hospitalized," Joanne said hesitantly, "The hospital won't allow me to just leave on my own."

Brian arched his brows. "You're my wife. Since when do I need anyone else's permission to take you anywhere?"

"..." Joanne blinked her eyes, the flush on her cheeks turning a shade deeper.

Brian had always used the term "missus" when he referred to her in front of others. That term did not sound too stiff, and it was chivalrous enough to be deemed appropriate in any social setting; however, she had always felt the lack of intimacy in that term.

But this time, he had used the term "wife", a term that screamed intimacy in the most imposing and straightforward manner. No one would doubt the intimacy which came with that term.

She, too, believed that Brian had the ability to take her away from this hospital.

Still, she could not help but feel as if something was wrong somewhere.

Then it hit her. She leapt straight onto the bed and lay down. "Who says I'm going with you? I'm staying here!"

Brian let her have her way instead of arguing. "Then wait for me to come back," he said.

After that, he left.

Curling her lips, Joanne took the tablet that Gavin had left for her and indulged herself in a movie.

Around 10 PM, the vague throbbing on her injured right leg was starting to bother her. Even the wounds on her waist were hurting. At first, it was still bearable, but eventually, not even the interesting plot of the movie could distract her from the pain.

She applied another round of ointment on her waist, though it did not help at all. Soon, the pain became so unbearable that she was left with no other choice but to alert the doctor.

"It's normal for your wounds to start hurting now," the doctor said, "I'll prescribe some painkillers for you. You'll feel better after taking them."

"Oh, right. I'll call Mr. Lambert right now!" a nurse piped up beside them, "Before he left, Mr. Lambert told us to call him the moment there's something wrong with you."

Joanne did not wish to disturb Brian, since she had no idea whether his video conference had ended. But it was too late for her to do anything, since the nurse had already run out.

Shortly, another nurse came in with the painkillers. The medication's effect was not instantaneous, so Joanne was still feeling a great deal of pain after taking it. Being the headstrong and strong-willed person that she was, Joanne refused to make a sound no matter how much pain she was in. She clenched her teeth and fought through it.

By the time Brian returned, Joanne was in so much pain that sheen of sweat had already formed on her forehead.

Brian wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked her.

Joanne bit her lip and nodded. After that, she spent a good half day chewing over her thoughts before she managed to get out a full sentence. "Don't you have a video conference?"

"The meeting can wait until tomorrow," Brian said, pausing to hold Joanne's hand, "Joanne, let's go back to Arlington, okay? I know you're still mad at me, but your anger isn't worth jeopardizing your recovery. Arlington has better medical facilities than whatever they have to offer here. Also, how are you supposed to get back at me if you don't recover?"

Joanne had a pained expression on her face due to her pain. Still, that comment made her laugh. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"I'll have Clark deal with all the paperwork. We'll transfer you to a hospital in Arlington tomorrow," Brian said.

"Hold on a second," Joanne retorted through her pain. "I didn't say I agree to it! Isn't this supposed to be a discussion?"

"Not anymore," Brian said, draping the blanket over her, "Be a good girl, and go to sleep. Your pain will be gone once you wake up."

"That's exactly how you would speak to a child, for God's sake!" Joanne thought, even if she did close her eyes obediently.

She wondered if the painkillers had sleep-inducing effects, or if its analgesic effects had finally kicked in. In any case, the pain on her wounds slowly lessened. She was starting to feel drowsy, too. Amidst the fogginess of her mind, another thought came to her.

"Brian," she said, "Will you be here to keep me company?"

"I will," Brian said, "Relax and sleep. I won't leave."

"I'm not afraid that you'd leave," Joanne slurred, her voice raspy and hoarse. "I'm just saying you shouldn't sleep on that couch anymore. Just sleep on the bed..." Joanne felt a great deal of pity for Brian before, when he tried to cram his tall frame into that tiny couch. Also, it would be bad for his neck and spine if he were to sleep beside the bed with his head resting on the bed's edge.

Brian gave her face a few strokes before climbing onto the bed.

With two people squeezing into it, the 1.2 meters wide bed left very little space. As a result, there were hardly any gaps between two of them as they lay there.

Brian shifted himself so that he lay on his side. Then, he reached out and pulled Joanne snug against him. "Go to sleep."

Gently, he patted her shoulder as if he was comforting a newborn baby.

For some reason, Joanne found the gesture reassuring. It was as if the pain on her waist and leg had vanished as she slowly descended into the land of Nod.

The effects of the painkillers waned around three in the morning. Joanne was once again roused from sleep due to pain.

She opened her eyes and found that Brian had maintained the same sleep posture as the one he had before he fell asleep. She was still enveloped in his embrace. He, on the other hand, was frowning deeply in his sleep.

Come to think of it, who would frown so deeply in their sleep? Perhaps Brian was having a nightmare.

Joanne remembered the last time Brian had had a nightmare. He had the same look on his face back then as he did now. He had even called out his father in his sleep.

It seemed like his father's death had impacted him greatly. Then again, he had never mentioned anything about his father's death to her.

Fighting through the pain in her body, Joanne turned around and hugged Brian like she had done last time. Her tiny hands worked slow, and comfortingly patted on his back. They looked like a pair of mandarin ducks with necks entwined.

Brian did not stir, only the tight knit on his brows had begun to ease slowly. Soon, he was sleeping peacefully once again.

Joanne spent a moment watching him sleep. After that, she removed his hands from her body and sat up. She felt a sudden grip on her hand just as she was climbing off the bed. Brian's voice rang out in the dark, "Where are you going?"

She turned her head around. Through the dim light of the room, she could make out the worry on Brian's face.

He was not angry. He was just afraid, afraid that she would leave him just like his father had left him without a single warning.

"My wounds are hurting again," Joanne said, "I'm just getting up to take the pills. Um... what's the matter with you?"

Brian had noticed his own lapse by then. He climbed off the bed. "Lie back down. I'll take the pills for you."

"Okay," Joanne said, switching on the lights. She took the pill and a glass of warm water from Brian.

After swallowing the pill, she stared at Brian. "You looked like you were having a nightmare just now," she remarked. "What was the dream about?"

Something flickered in his expression. "It's nothing," he said, "Go back to sleep."

Joanne appraised Brian. "No, that didn't look like nothing. He just didn't want to tell me."

"Stop thinking about it," Brian said, switching off the light. Then, he pulled Joanne onto the bed and into his arms. Joanne shifted uncomfortably in his arms. "Stop moving around!" he muttered a warning.

Joanne knew very well the consequences of "moving around", so she stopped moving after that. She found a comfortable posture in Brian's arm and lay still.

Admittedly, Brian's need for secrecy had made her feel pretty down. But she did not intend to push Brian for now. One day, he would come clean to her about everything in his past, just like she would finally reveal her true feelings to him.

"Are you still in pain?" Brian asked all of a sudden.

"A little bit. But it'll be fine after a while," Joanne said, yawning. After a brief moment of hesitation, she said, "Brian, let's, let's go home tomorrow."

Although she knew that Brian would bring her back to Arlington tomorrow regardless, she still wanted Brian to know that she was willing to go back.

Brian planted a kiss on her forehead. "Okay."

Pursing her lips, Joanne closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

The two of them slept until 7 AM the next day.

Joanne was still asleep when Brian woke up. She looked like an obedient little animal, snuggling up against him contentedly. Her breathing was shallow, and the look on her face was so peaceful that he was sure nobody would have the heart to disturb her.

He eased his hold against her and got out of bed. He grabbed his phone and stepped out of the room to contact Clark. He instructed Clark to settle the paperwork for Joanne's hospital transfer and told him that they would be heading back to Arlington after everything was settled.

Before Gavin left yesterday, he had especially reminded Clark that there was a chance that Joanne would refuse to return, so Brian might be in a foul mood because of that. Gavin had also reminded Clark to be more careful in carrying out his duties. Who knew that the tides would turn after just a day?

"Well, I guess Brian is still Brian after all!" Clark thought as he happily left to start the paperwork.

After Joanne woke up and breakfast was out of the way, Brian handed her clothes to her. "Change out of your hospital gown. Time to go home."

She had agreed to return to Arlington last night, so she did not try to kick up a fuss this time. She allowed Brian to carry her into the bathroom instead.

"Tell me once you're done changing," Brian said.

After that, Brian headed for the bathroom's exit, closing the door for her on his way out.

As she was changing, Joanne's movements were slow due to the many injuries that her body had sustained. Then again, Joanne never would have expected herself to experience a predicament as awkward as the one she was currently in.

The injuries on her waist barely allowed her to reach her hands behind back, let alone buttoning her clothes there. She could not button her clothes no matter how hard she tried. If she were to force herself through the task, she would most likely end up pulling something in her waist, which would have her down on the ground in so much pain that she doubted she would be able to get back up.

After torturing herself for a good half day and working up a good amount of sweat, she found that all her efforts had been for nothing.

"Joanne?" Outside the door, Brian had begun to suspect that something was amiss. "Are you done changing?"

"Almost, almost," Joanne said with a crying face, "Just give me a moment."

Brian waited for another six or seven minutes or so before his patience finally snapped. He yanked open the bathroom door. Joanne was standing there with her back facing him; the smooth alabaster skin on her back and her thin, narrow waist were laid completely bare to his eyes.

"Ah!" Joanne screamed and covered herself. "Why did you come in? Pervert! Get out!"

Brian frowned, closing the door. Then he walked straight towards Joanne.

Joanne's eyes went wide. "Brian!"

She was so worked up that she nearly started stamping her feet against the floor.

Brian, on the other hand, was nothing but candid in his demeanor. "If I go out, you'd probably still be here trying to change when your wounds have recovered."

He buttoned Joanne's clothes for her and then reached out to grab the long-sleeved jacket which was hung beside them. He helped her into the jacket and then left the bathroom as if he had not done anything at all.

It took Joanne a very long time to come to her senses. She glanced at her own reflection in the mirror. Her face was flushed, and her breathing erratic.

Her hand went to rest on her chest, where she could feel the rapid and strong beating of her heart beneath her palms. When Brian had accidentally touched the skin on her back just now, the warmth and texture of the tip of his fingers felt so vivid, so much so that it was as if she could see his touch with her own eyes.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Joanne was screaming inwardly.