Gil rushed into the emergency room, still wearing his lab coat and ID. When he saw the distraught look on Nancy's face and Lindsey's tears, he feared the worst, but Rick was quick to assure him otherwise.

"They're still working on her," he said.

Gil breathed a sigh of relief and gathered Lindsey up in his arms. She held on to him tightly, sobbing.

"I don't want to lose my mom," she cried, her tears running down Gil's neck and soaking his collar.

"I know. I know," he said, holding her gently and battling his own fears.

Rick had his arm wrapped around Nancy's shoulders; she had turned away from Gil and wouldn't look at him. They sat there in stony silence for nearly half an hour before the doctor emerged, looking tired.

"We have her stabilized, but it's still touch and go," he said. "It's a good thing you brought her in when you did."

"What happened?" Gil asked.

"Accidental overdose." The doctor pulled the bottle of Catherine's pills from his pocket. "There were enough pills in this bottle to last 60 days. It's only been two weeks, and they're almost all gone."

"That's impossible," Nancy objected. "I gave her one pill a day, just like the doctor told me. I'm sure I did."

"Where did you keep the pills?" the doctor asked.

Nancy frowned.

"On the nightstand. Why?"

A look of understanding crossed her face.

"Oh, no. She was taking them, herself! Oh, god. Was she trying to kill herself?"

The doctor shook his head.

"No. If she'd been suicidal, she would have taken them all at once," he explained. "It's more likely she was confused. Given her state of mind and the effects of the medication, she probably had no idea how many she was taking."

"Can we see her?" Gil asked.

Lindsey looked up at the doctor, her eyes imploring.

"Yes, briefly," the doctor said. "We'll be keeping her here awhile. I'm anxious to get some weight on her, before I let her go home. Being so thin is creating a strain on her heart. But right now she's awake and lucid and could use a friendly face. But, please, not long. We're not out of the woods, yet."

Gil looked to Rick.

"Please," he begged.

"Go ahead," Rick said. "Take Lindsey. We'll go in later."

Nancy clung to her husband's arm and never said a word.

"Thank you."

Gil breathed a sigh of relief, picked up Catherine's daughter, and quietly slipped behind the curtains, where Catherine was resting. An IV was planted in her arm and she was hooked up to a heart monitor. Oxygen was being pumped into her nostrils through a tube. He hadn't expected her to look so thin and pale. Stunned, he lowered Lindsey to the floor and stared at Catherine. He couldn't believe this was the same vibrant woman who had yelled at him and kissed him in the parking lot of the pizza place, had cared for him when he was hurting, and had made love to him in a room with floral print wallpaper. She was barely a whisper of herself. Emaciated. Her hair matted with sweat. Her lips thin.

Gil took Catherine's hand. She could barely open her eyes.

"Hi," he said, softly. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead."

She tried to smile.

"Hi, mom," Lindsey said, drawing close to the bed and anchoring herself to Gil's waist.

"Are you taking good care of my baby?" Catherine asked Gil. Her voice was ethereal. Gil shivered and Lindsey looked up at him for reassurance.

"Doing my best," he lied, his thumb gently massaging her frail hand. Telling her different didn't seem like a good idea, at the moment.

She nodded slightly.

"Good," she said. She closed her eyes, again. Her grip weakened, but she but didn't let go of him.

"Catherine, you have to stay awake, now, honey," Gil told her, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. "We need you. Stay with us."

Dull blue eyes peered at them through slits.

"I saw them," she told him. She didn't have to explain. Her haunted look said it all.

He lowered his own eyes, ashamed.

"I know. I wish I could take it all back. I've been a self-centered fool, Catherine, and I don't deserve you. But I love you, and I want you back," he said.

"Me, too," Lindsey added.

"I'm not going anywhere, honey," Catherine told her daughter. "I promise."

Catherine's eyes drifted from her daughter back to Gil.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"At the hospital," he said, fighting back tears. "You had a problem with your medicine. But you're going to be fine. You'll be here a couple of days, and then I'm taking you home."

"Home. I miss my home," Catherine sighed, closing her eyes, again.

"Me, too," said Gil.

"Me, three," said Lindsey.

"Catherine?"

She looked so close to death, Gil was afraid every time she closed her eyes.

"Mmmm," she murmured.

"Nancy and Rick are waiting to see you. I'll go get them."

His hand started to slip out of hers, but she grasped weakly at it.

"Where have you been?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

"Aunt Nancy...," Lindsey started to explain, but Gil gave her a look that hushed her.

"You've been at Nancy and Rick's, with Lindsey," he said. "Nancy is really worried about you. I just want to let her know you're alright."

"I'll go," Lindsey offered, sprinting away before Gil could stop her.

Catherine forced her eyes open. He looked so worried, staring down at her. She could see the fear and deep pain in his dark blue eyes. She could also see his love for her, yet he seemed to be slipping away, disappearing into a dark cloud.

"Where were you?" she asked, again.

"Not far, honey. Not far."

He bent down and she tasted him on her mouth, warm, sweet, minty.

"Gil?"

"Yes, dear."

"I need to rest, now."

He pressed her cold hand to his warm lips.

"Of course, dear," he said. "I love you."

Her monitor flatlined.

The doctor ran in and pushed Gil out the way. Gil watched, in shock, as the hospital staff began administering CPR and setting up a defibrillator. His eyes went from the heart monitor to her face and back, again. Behind him, Nancy and Rick backed out of the curtains, pulling a very frightened Lindsey with them. Gil couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to. He was planted in that spot, willing her heart to beat again.

"Clear!" Her back arched as the electricity roared through her body.

Gil wrapped his arms around himself and tried not to collapse.

"Clear!" A second round jolted her, with no reaction.

He no longer looked at the monitor, only her lifeless face, her sunken eyes, her still lips.

"Clear!" A second of silence followed by a faint beep, and Gil had to grab an orderly to keep from falling, as his knees sagged beneath him.

A second beep. Then a third. The monitor responded to the faint heartbeats, and Gil finally let himself breathe. Someone pushed a stool behind him, and he dropped onto it. A few more minutes, and the doctor's hand on his shoulder, told him she was back.

When the room had cleared, Gil pulled the stool up to the side of the bed, sat down, wrapped his fingers around hers and rested his head on the bed. He closed his eyes, offering up a silent prayer and unaware of the family standing behind him, until Nancy spoke.

"Is she going to make it?" she asked.

Gil couldn't respond. His whole body shook as he wept into the bed, partly from fear and partly from relief that Catherine had returned to him. Lindsey put her arm around Gil and kissed his cheek.

"It's okay, Uncle Gil," she said. "Mom loves us. She won't leave us. She promised."

Gil put an arm around the child and picked up his head, but he never looked at anyone but Catherine.

*******

"I feel like shit," Catherine was saying. "And I need a shower. I didn't want you to see me like this."

Gil smiled and kissed her hand, again. He's been at her side for twenty-four hours, finally shedding the lab coat and only slipping out twice to use the bathroom. He needed a shower, too, he realized.

"Catherine, you could be covered in tar and smelling like decomp, and still be beautiful to me," he told her.

She smiled.

"I think Sara is right," she said.

"About what?" he asked.

"Sometimes, you can be a real ass."

He grinned. It was her first joke since regaining consciousness.

"Can I get you anything?" Nancy asked, sticking her head into the hospital room and smiling.

Catherine turned her head a little to look at her, thinking a minute.

"Yeah. Can you get me my address book from my suitcase?" she asked.

She looked back at Gil to see the grin widen on his worried face.

"You've been in my suitcase," she accused him.

"Guilty," he admitted.

"Do you have it?" she asked, referring to the photo of them.

"No. I left it in there, for you."

Lindsey came charging into the room, dropping her book bag in the middle of the floor.

"Hi, mom!" she said, giving Catherine a big kiss.

"Hey, take it easy, there, slugger," Gil warned Lindsey. "You're mom's not quite up to a pep rally, yet."

Lindsey pulled a homemade get well card out of her bag and handed it to her mom. She had cut out a photo of Gil, one of Catherine, and one of herself, and glued them onto hand drawn balloons. The balloons where anchored to a heart, and overhead a sun smiled on the three of them.

"It's beautiful," Catherine said. "Thank you, sweetie."

Lindsey beamed.

"Are we going to be a family, now?" she asked, looking at Gil.

He smiled and blushed.

"First, we have to get your mom well, okay? Then, we'll see what she wants to do."

His eyes met Catherine's and she squeezed his hand.

"We are a family. We always have been," she said.

"Not officially," Lindsey said. "I want it officially so the judge won't take me away from Uncle Gil, again."

Catherine frowned and looked at her.

"What are you talking about, young lady?" she asked.

Gil scowled at Lindsey, but she wouldn't shut up.

"Aunt Nancy was afraid Uncle Gil was going to hurt you, so we went to court, and the judge said he didn't think so, but I couldn't live with Uncle Gil without your permission, so he wants us back in court to see what you want. But you want me to stay with Uncle Gil, don't you?"

Catherine looked totally confused. She looked to Gil.

"You had a psychotic episode," Gil tried to explain. "Nancy had to get guardianship of Lindsey until you were better. But Lindsey," his eyes drifted to the girl, "hired her own lawyer and came to court and told the judge that she wanted to live with me."

Catherine's eyebrows shot up.

"She did?"

"Yes, I did. And I'm glad I did, `cause now you can tell the judge anything you want."

Catherine smiled.

"Geez," she said, "I go to sleep for a few days, and look at all the trouble you guys get into."

Gil chuckled softly.

"We're just glad you're back," Gil said.

"Me, too," said Nancy.

Catherine reached out for her sister's hand.

"Thanks for taking care of me and Lindsey," she said.

"I didn't do a very good job," Nancy admitted, "or you wouldn't have ended up back in the hospital."

"Hey, we all make mistakes, don't we Gil?" Catherine said, her eyes locking on his.

"Yes, we do," he said. "Forgive me?"

"Always," she said. "Watch my back?"

"Always," he responded.

When Lindsey and Nancy had left, Gil asked Catherine if there was anything he could do for her.

"Just three things," she said.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Never look at another woman."

"Okay," he said, smiling sheepishly.

"Never sleep with another woman."

"You got it," he promised.

"And hold me in your arms."

Gil sat on the edge of the bed and carefully pulled her into his arms, gently caressing her still-frail body.

"Forever," he promised.

-- TBC --