There were 28,000 reported car-jackings in the United States of America last year.

Ginger had seen the statistics. She also knew that was probably the tip of the iceberg. So many more people were afraid to report them and as hard as the Bartlet Administration worked to improve the situation, and make the streets safe, it wasn‘t fast enough.

As a single woman alone in the city she’d always feared being a victim of crime. If anything, she was even more at risk because of where she worked and who she worked for. From the minute she’d started working in the White House, Ginger’d had it drummed into her to be careful.

After CJ’s stalker incident, someone from the Secret Service had given the assistants a course in self defense. So far, she’d never had to use what she’d learnt, but Ginger felt better knowing she could protect herself from an attacker, if she needed to. Then there was Toby, who insisted on paying for cabs late at night because he was worried about one of the assistants getting attacked on the metro. And of course there was Leo, who walked her to the door after every date and always checked the apartment for intruders.

Except that it wasn’t just the women who were at risk. That much had become clear since Margaret had phoned thirty minutes ago. Now, at just after one am, Ginger was in a taxi on her way across town to Georgetown Memorial hospital.

It had been a typical Saturday evening. Leo had dragged himself away from work early, well before ten, which even on a Saturday was early for him, and they’d eaten take out on her sofa as they watched the Hallmark channel. They were just climbing into bed when she’d doubled over in agony. Her dash into the bathroom and the slamming of the door behind her left Leo momentarily stunned. Her curse had been audible through the bathroom door and he’d knocked lightly to ask what was wrong, his voice becoming more insistent with each knock.

Finally, he’d pushed open the door and caught her, curled up on the floor, the empty box by her side.

At first, she’d refused his offer of running to the store, telling him that she’d be able to go herself in a short while, but then another cramp had taken her unawares. It was then that she’d nodded mutely and gazed up at him, tears clearly evident in her eyes.

Leo had guided her gently to the bed before pulling the covers up around her. He’d kissed her lightly on the forehead and promised to be back shortly with what she needed and candy.

Except, he hadn’t come straight back. The neighborhood had been foreign to him and he’d obviously gotten lost before finally finding an all night store.

From Margaret’s account, the police had found him, on his side in the gutter. The tone in her voice had clearly laid out what the police had first thought -- that he was drunk. Then they’d seen the blood pouring from his open wound and rushed him to hospital.

His car had been discovered ten blocks away, the stereo gone along with anything else he’d left clearly visible on the back seat. Luckily his briefcase lay in her hallway, still unopened.

The cab pulled up at the ER and Ginger fumbled in her purse for the fare, cursing as she dropped her purse for the third time.

Someone stepped out of the shadows and handed over a twenty. Ginger let out a sigh of relief when she saw Margaret’s reassuring smile and felt her hand grip hers.

The hospital smell, she would remember as long as she lived. It had been bad enough after Rosslyn when she’d sat beside Donna while Josh lay unconscious, and in New Jersey as her father fought for his life but now it was Leo and her world was spinning off its axis.

The waiting room was even more sparse than she remembered, the grey plastic chairs and three year old magazines in contrast to the white walls. But nothing ever prepared you for having to watch a loved one fighting for life.

Margaret led her silently through the ER and into the relatives room before she finally spoke.

“He’s in surgery.”

Ginger nodded, frightened that her voice would betray her.

“Mallory’s on her way. She wanted to let her mom know first,” Margaret continued, holding Ginger‘s hands in her own.

“Does she know I’m here?” Ginger asked quietly, finally locking eyes with her friend.

It was Margaret’s turn to fall silent. She knew from her conversations with Leo that he had yet to tell Mallory the extent of their relationship. In her brief conversation with Mallory, she had pondered asking if she could call Ginger, then decided to hold off. It had been Mallory who suggested Margaret contact the woman in her father’s life, oblivious to the fact Ginger was more than just a woman in his life.

“Should I go?”

“He’d want you to be here,” a voice offered from the door way and both women turned sharply.

“Mal,” Margaret called, jumping to her feet and pulling Mallory into her arms.

Mallory’s arms slid around the older woman’s back as she stared at the red head across the room. Her father had mentioned in passing months ago that he was seeing someone, but had failed to add anything further. She now knew why. Ginger was the image of her mother, the flame red hair, hanging down her back and the pained eyes staring back at her. “Where’s Dad?”

“In surgery,” Margaret said, pulling back but still holding Mallory firmly. “He was conscious for a while but they had to sedate him. Don’t worry, they know about his medical history.”

“Thanks.” Her smile was genuine enough but it failed to reach her eyes. “The President is on his way from Berlin.”

Ginger watched the two women interact and felt like an outsider. In the office she was just Toby’s assistant, but at home in her apartment or in Leo’s hotel room she was his girlfriend. He made her breakfast in bed on Sundays and she helped him with the crossword over coffee. They had resolved not to tell anyone about their developing relationship, not because they were ashamed or because of the reaction they would get, but because it was new and their’s. Now that Mallory knew, it would be impossible to conceal it any longer.

She’d once told Toby she was a simple girl and she was. All she had ever wanted was a man who loved her, treated her with respect and wasn’t frightened to show her how important she was to him. With Leo, she’d found all that. Beneath the gruff exterior he was gentle, kind and a good listener. He also wasn’t frightened to walk into a drugstore and buy her tampons and Midol, though that was something she wasn’t about to dwell on. Especially not when he was lying on an operating table because of it.

“How did it happen?”

The question remained unanswered.

“Ginger?” It was Mallory’s soft voice as she sat down beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Her nod was subtle, but as her head lifted from its scrutiny of the carpet, it became clear she wasn’t okay. “It was my fault.”

Margaret took her hand and squeezed gently. “Did you steal his car?”

“No.”

“Then it wasn’t your fault,” Margaret stated in a tone she regularly used to put Leo in his place.

“But he shouldn’t have even been in that part of town. If I hadn’t. . . He was getting something for me.”

“The police think they’d been watching him for days. The BMW was top of the line and easy to sell. They can’t come up with why it was dumped so quickly,” Mallory explained. “All Dad had on him was his White House ID and a shopping bag.”

“Do they know who did it?” Margaret asked, concern growing at the lack of color in Ginger’s face.

Mallory closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, “No. Why isn’t there any news?”

The three women lapsed into silence as they waited for news, anything that would make the time go quicker.

Finally, Mallory could take it no longer and jumped out of her seat. She began to pace the room, her hands clasping and unclasping at her sides. “I hate this,” she moaned. “Why don’t they tell us something?”

“Because their priority is the patient, because they don’t know anything, because all they can give is false reassurance. “We’re doing everything we can.” “He’s stable,” Ginger snorted, covering her face with her hands as the first tears spilled onto her cheeks.

“Ginger?” Mallory asked softly, moving to her side. “He will be okay. Dad’s a fighter.” She smiled weakly. “So how did you two get together?”

Ginger’s head lifted from her hands and her eyes shone brightly. “He was so sweet and kind. I had a phone call to say my father had been taken to the hospital. The medics had found him unconscious on his bedroom floor, the furniture disturbed. I was stunned. We lived in a nice neighbor hood, a watch group, security system, but the police thought he’d surprised a burglar.” A stray tear ran down her face.

Mallory stroked her back in small circles, imagining herself in Ginger’s shoes, so far from her father while he was lying injured.

“I didn’t know what to do. I had to get to New Jersey and I couldn’t find Margaret or Toby. I just wandered into Leo’s office and he was there. Somehow I stammered what had happened. He just took over, called the airline and organized a car to the airport. . .” Ginger took a deep breath. “It was then Leo called the hospital, told them he was my boss and that I’d be there shortly. He was holding the phone to his ear with one hand and my hand in his other.”

“And?” Margaret asked, leaning in. For the first time since they entered the room both women were concentrating on something other than what was going on down the hallway. She wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Ginger gave her a coy smile, “Nothing. I went home. . .When I got to the hospital, they told me what really happened. My father had taken an overdose of sleeping pills. He’d dropped the pill bottle while partially unconscious and in picking it up, ripped the phone out of the wall and knocked the bedside unit over. He died from liver failure two days later.”

“Oh, Ginger, honey, I’m so sorry,” Margaret whispered, squeezing her tightly.

“It’s okay. Because of Leo, it’s okay. When I came back I went to thank Leo and invited him to dinner. At first he said no. Your dad is a little old fashioned about things like that. He told me that I didn‘t need to thank him, that as far as he was concerned we were his girls and it was his job to take care of us. And besides, if he was going to have dinner with a woman, he did the asking.”

“That’s my dad.”

“Two days later, he appeared at my desk and asked me out.” Ginger grinned at the memory. “He‘d known it was suicide before I even left for New Jersey. That‘s why he rode with me to the airport that day. I was still angry and confused and Leo told me about his father.” She swallowed and looked at Mallory.

“It‘s alright, I know my grandfather took his own life.”

“I was bottling it up when I really needed to talk about it. Leo and I talked a lot in those early days, and he made me see a counsellor. I went to sessions once a week for six months before I finally accepted that I‘d never understand why my Dad did it. Leo picked me up every night and we had coffee. We’ve been together ever since. You know that first dinner was one of only two times we’ve eaten out. The second was my birthday.”

“Miss O’Brien?”

Mallory jumped to her feet, pulling Ginger with her, “Yes. And this is Ginger, and Margaret.”

“Hello. Your father is out of surgery now. The knife severed an artery but we’ve managed to repair the damage. Now it’s a case of waiting to see what happens.”

“Can we see him?” Ginger asked quietly.

The doctor nodded, “He’s being moved to recovery so I’ll have a nurse come get you shortly.”

A collective sigh sounded around the room and the three women unconsciously joined hands.

A few minutes later a nurse appeared in the doorway. She hesitated before entering. “Excuse me.”

Ginger swiped at her eyes and forced a smile, “Yes.”

“Mr McGarry is in recovery. You can see him now but one at a time and only for a few minutes,” she said, half in the room and half in the corridor, unwilling to intrude.

“Go on then,” Mallory prompted, releasing Ginger’s hand and nudging her towards the door.

“Mallory?”

“You go first. If he was willing to run out and buy tampax at midnight, you must mean a lot,” she grinned.

Ginger gave her a smile and squeezed her arm. “I won’t be long, and I’ll let him know you’re here.”

She followed the nurse down the long corridor and came to a halt outside the door to his room.

“Five minutes.”

Ginger nodded and ran her fingers down the glass panel in the door. She couldn’t believe how pale he looked, lying under the starched white sheets with a drip in his arm. So different to the man who padded around her apartment most mornings, crossword in hand and complaining that six down was wrong. Slowly, she pushed open the door and took slow steps towards the bed.

Instinctively, she reached for his hand on top the sheets and ran her thumb over his knuckles.

“I’ve come out in sympathy. My stomach‘s killing me,” came a mumble.

“Leo?”

“What, I don’t get a laugh?” he grumbled, wincing as he tried to get comfortable.

“If it’s funny, I laugh, if it’s in bad taste you get a slap,” she chided, dropping into the visitor’s chair. “But considering the situation, that can wait. How bad is it?”

Leo turned his hand over and entwined his fingers with hers. “The anaesthesia is wearing off.”

“Want me to call a nurse?”

He shook his head, “Can’t take pain killers. They want to try a tens machine,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “I take it the secret’s out?”

“About you liking candy turtles?” she grinned. “No, they think they’re for me. Margaret’s here and so’s Mallory. The President‘s on his way from Berlin.”

His eyes fluttered shut as he groaned.

“I have to go so your daughter can see you’re okay,” Ginger whispered, leaning in to kiss his forehead.

“Don’t go.” He cleared his throat. “Please.”

Ginger kissed him again and rose to her feet. “I’ll be back once you’re transferred to a room.” She paused by the door for the briefest of seconds, memorizing his face as though it was the first time she’d ever seen it, before slipping quietly from the room.

Mallory squeezed Ginger’s arm lightly as they passed in the hallway. Opening the door, she exhaled sharply at the sight if her father in the bed.

Leo opened his eyes and gave her a weak smile. “Hey Baby.”

“Daddy,” she whispered, moving towards him and taking his hand. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “You can ask, y’know?”

“About what?”

He shook his head, “Coy doesn’t suit you.”

“So you’re seeing Ginger?”

“Yes, I am.”

“She’s a sweet girl.”

Leo chuckled, “Ginger is hardly a girl, Mal. I can safely say she’s all woman.”

“Daddy!” Mallory dropped her voice and shook her head. “It was the red hair, wasn’t it?”

“I’m not dating her because I’m looking for a carbon copy of your mother. Yes, she’s a red head, yes, she’s firey and I can see why you’d think that. But I love Ginger because she’s Ginger.”

“Oh?”

“Something happened with her father. . . “

“She told me.”

“I thought she shouldn’t go through it alone, the guilt and the confusion. I recommended a counsellor and I found by talking to her I was getting help, help I should have had years ago.”

“So when did it become more?”

He closed his eyes and remembered the tears falling down Ginger’s face after the first counselling session, the way she melted into his arms.

“She fell asleep in my arms one night and as I watched her sleep, I knew. She had the potential to be something more. It works, Mal, it really does.”

“Then I guess, I’m happy for you. The police asked if the bag was for me,” Mallory said, her eyes cast down. “You must really care about her.”

“Because I bought her tampons and candy?” he gave a weak laugh and winced in pain. “I used to do that for your mother and you when you were younger.” He paused and smiled. “I do care about her, Mallory. I keep thinking it could have been her tonight.”

“Do you want me to call a doctor?” Her father’s face was paling by the second and his eyes were screwed tightly closed.

He shook his head. “Just don’t make me laugh. Have they said how long I’ll be in here?”

“Daddy, you’ve just got out of surgery,” she chided.

“I’ve heard about the food in here.”

“What are you going to do when you get out of here?” Mallory asked casually, her hand still covering his.

“Go home.”

“You mean to Gingers,” Mallory clarified.

“Nope, home. I’ve been living with her for months. I can’t remember the last time I stayed at the hotel.” Leo closed his eyes and let out a breath. “You should go home, it’s late and you have class.”

“Dad?”

“Ginger’ll stay the night. I know better than to argue with her. Try and take Margaret with you though, I need her to keep the office going, and make sure Josh is up to speed.”

Mallory nodded, “I guess ninety stitches isn’t enough to make you forget about work.”

“If it’s a choice between getting Margaret on Josh’s case or hovering over me, I know where I’d rather she’d be. I need to sleep so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Half of her thought she should stay, the other half knew he wouldn’t be alone, that in fact she wasn’t the one he needed there that night. Strangely that fact didn’t upset her as much as it once would. His eyes were already closed and he was mumbling softly in his sleep as Mallory kissed him lightly and went in search of Ginger.

*~*~*~*

Ginger opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps and lifted her head from the bed. She rubbed her eyes as they focused and slowly made out the trio of dark suits in the door way. It took a few seconds for comprehension to dawn.

“I guess the circus has arrived, “ Leo mumbled from above her.

“Leo?” Jed called, entering the room and rushing to his friend’s bed side. “Leo?”

“Mr. President, could you not yell?” Leo moaned, opening his eyes and giving his friend a small smile.

Jed hovered above him, wishing that Abbey was with him, instead of back at the residence, but the Service were having enough of a fit about him going there in the middle of the night, without both of them being there. “You look awful.”

“Thank you, Sir. I don’t feel so great either.”

“Where’s Margaret? Where’s Mal? I thought they’d be here, hovering and fussing,” Jed declared, finally noticing Ginger’s presence. “Hey Ginger.”

“Mr. President.”

“You can go. I’ll wait for Mal to come back. Where is she? Getting coffee?”

Ginger glanced at Leo who closed his eyes and let out a low moan. The main reason he’d avoided telling Jed about his relationship is that he’d want to discuss it in depth. Which would mean questions about Jenny and whether it was wise to have a fling with one of the girls. And once Jed had got it to his thick skull that it wasn‘t a fling or a rebound from Jenny, he’d want to have them over for dinner. Dinner with Jed was excruciating enough without three rounds of Jeopardy.

“Mal and Margaret have gone home,” Leo stated, lifting his hand from beneath the covers and searching blindly for Gingers.

“Well, thank you for staying with him, but. . ., “ Jed started but trailed off as he noticed their joined hands. “Oh, is there something I should know, should have known before now?”

What felt like an endless silence filled the room.

“Maybe I should go, get a coffee,” Ginger offered, moving to stand.

“Stay,” Leo whispered, holding her hand as tightly as he could. “Ginger and I have been together for nearly nine months. I’m happy, we’re happy but until tonight, Margaret was the only other person that knew.” He gave Ginger a reassuring smile. “We’re usually more restrained but you have to understand I thought I’d never see her again.”

Jed glanced at Ginger and noted the reddening cheeks and the look in her eyes. It was clear in that second in the dimness of the room that they were two people in love. He couldn’t be angry, although there was going to be a conversation later, when he knew Leo was out of the woods. His fear at Leo’s attack was fading as he watched the tenderness play out before him. All the time on the plane, he’d been concerned about Leo going through all this alone, and now he knew he wasn’t alone, he felt out of place.

“I’d imagine Ginger had concerns of her own.”

Ginger turned her attention from Leo for a second to smile at the President, “Yes, Sir.”

“Are you sure you can handle him?” Jed asked, shooting his friend a wicked look.

“I’m from New Jersey, Sir. We’re built to last up there,” she said, her eyes locking once more with Leo’s. “Besides, I’m sure I’ll have help.”

“You see, Jed. They’re planning a conspiracy already. I’m going to have women checking my every movement for months,” Leo whined.

“Well, you’re on your own there, my friend.”

Leo groaned and adjusted his position, laying his free hand over the wound until he was sitting up right. “Has someone briefed you on what happened?”

Jed slid into a chair and folded his hands on top of the bed. “You were coming out of a store when two guys jumped you, stabbed you and took the car. The police found you on the curb, bleeding and your car a few blocks away, dumped.”

“You know more than I do.”

“Ron is involved in the investigation. You had a tracker installed, the Service had to be informed. So far, they have nothing. Finger prints were found but they’re still going through the database. No one saw anything.” Jed waved his hands nervously through the air.

“Mr. President, was it intentional?” Leo asked, one eye fixed on Ginger, watching for her reaction.

“It looks random. I’m sure they didn’t know who you were until they got the car. And then when they found your ID and the tracker they realized they were in over their heads. But. . .”

“I’m being assigned a detail?”

“Yup, and you don’t even have to sign anything.”

“I need to use the bathroom,” Ginger mumbled, jumping to her feet and disappearing through the door. She was going to cry, and she didn’t want them to see that. And it was quite possible she might throw up. At first she’d been concerned that she was going to lose him, but hearing him talk to the President she had suddenly realized that it could have been something much worse, that Leo’s job brought him into danger. She didn’t even want to consider the possibilities.

Leo looked at the door and back up at Jed. “Damn.”

Jed got up from his chair and crossed to one of the agents inside the room. “I want an agent on her at all times.” He moved back to Leo. “It’s finally hit her, Leo. Give her a few minutes.”

Leo fixed his friend with a steely gaze. “I think it’s time the others knew. Ginger shouldn’t have to deal with this alone. If they know they’ll take care of her.“

“Okay, I can do that. And the press?”

“No, not until I’m on my feet and I can be there with her. Jed, she’s not ready for this,” Leo declared. “I don’t want them turning this into a sordid affair or something. Please, have CJ. . . “

“I’ll take care of it. Now rest.”

A few minutes later, Ginger came back in the room and gave them both a small smile.

“Well, I should be going,” Jed announced. “If there’s anything you need, have an agent call me.” He squeezed Leo’s hand and gave Ginger a small smile before slipping quietly from the room.

*~*~*~*

Ginger pulled up at the main hospital entrance and climbed out of the car.

Leo slowly raised himself from the wheel chair a nurse had ordered him to ride in and began to walk towards the car. “Ginger?”

“I went to the dealer and explained the situation. Your insurers are paying the difference,” she offered, taking his bag from the orderly and dropping it in the trunk. His brand new black BMW had been replaced with a brand new dark blue one. “I didn’t think. . .”

He lightly brushed her arm and opened the passenger door before carefully climbing inside. “Hey, what’s this?”

“A CD player, Leo,” she said glibly. “I thought you needed something a little less arcane than a radio.”

“I like the radio,” he moaned.

She rolled her eyes and pulled his seatbelt across his body, securing him before doing the same with her own belt. “I’m taking you home.”

“Can we stop by the office?” He gave her one of his infamous grins, the one that generally had women bending to his will, well except Margaret.

The look she gave him asked “Are you stupid?” He knew because every woman in the West Wing, and his daughter seemed to have perfected it.

“I guess that’s a no.”

Ginger started the engine and pulled out into the traffic. “It’s definitely a no. I’ve spoken to Donna and Margaret and we’re decided to implement the rules.”

“GINGER!” The rules were stupid, not that he was going to say that. Toby once told Donna, her rules were stupid and it took days before she’d let him anywhere near Josh. If he played it right, Ginger would relent in a few days and Josh would come and rescue him.

“And you can forget what ever ‘s going through that head of yours. Mrs Bartlet had the President issue a memo. You’re not to be bothered.”

“Does that apply to you too?” Leo grinned and reached over to run his fingers up her cotton covered thigh.

Ginger covered his hand with her own and moved it to his own lap. “It’s been a week, Leo. You need at least three more for the wound to heal and another two before you can get an all clear.”

“Please tell me you’re sassing me.”

“The harder you make this the more painful it’s going to be,” she offered, a hint of a smile on her lips.

“Now you’re just being cruel,” he pouted, turning to stare out the window.

“If I was really being cruel, you’d be staying with the President and First Lady.” She turned in her seat and flashed him a smile. “This way, Mal and I take care of you and you get something warm to cuddle up to at night.”

Leo shifted position and winced noticeably. “I hope we’re talking about you and not a hot water bottle.”

“Are you in pain?” she asked, one eye on the road and the other on him. “They gave me some mild painkillers.”

He waved her off. “I just need to remember not to move.”

“You can go straight to bed when we get home. Mallory’ll sit with you while I go to work,” Ginger stated, maneuvering the car into a space outside her apartment.

Leo’s eyes widened and he turned rapidly to face her, momentarily forgetting the pain. “You can’t.”

“Leo?”

“You can’t drive alone, it’ll be dark soon. I’ll phone Toby and tell him I need you,” Leo said, his voice slightly panicky as he tried to get out of his seatbelt.

“Calm down.“ Ginger unclipped the belt. It was hard enough now that Toby knew about their relationship without taking liberties. “I won’t be long. I just need to sort my desk and talk Toby through the schedule.”

Leo shook his head as they both made their way onto the sidewalk and up the steps. “NO.”

Ginger stopped with the key in the lock.

“Please, I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.” His hand reached for her free hand and he entwined his fingers with hers. “I love you, Ginger.”

“I love you too, but. . .”

“Ginger, there is one murder every 22 minutes, one rape every 5 minutes, one robbery every 49 seconds, and one burglary every 10 seconds. Not to mention the 28,000 car-jackings last year.” He covered her hand with his own and turned the key in her hand.

“I’ve read the report, Leo,” she retorted.

“Yeah,” he said softly, opening the door and waiting while she entered. “But before you had me to protect you.”

Ginger turned and raised an eyebrow in question.

“I love you, I want to be your knight in shining armour, riding my charger to your rescue,” he declared, as they climbed the flight of stairs to her apartment. “But right now, all I’m good for is the glue factory.”

“Leo? What did they give you at the hospital?” she asked, straight faced before continuing up the stairs. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing you on a white stallion, in chain mail, rushing to untie me.”

“Now, you’re just teasing me,” he snorted.

Ginger tilted her head to one side and glanced back over her shoulder, giving him a small smile, “Oh I promise, Leo, there’s going to plenty of teasing. . . And other stuff.”

“Ginger, I’m trying to be serious here,” Leo groaned.

“Okay,” she said softly, turning around and joining him a few steps below. “You’re frightened that something’s going to happen to me, and you want me to stay here with you.”

“Yeah.”

“Leo, you’re the sweetest, kindest man I know and I love you for being protective but I can’t let what happened to you stop me doing what I need to do. I have a job, I have friends. You can’t be with me twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, even if you didn’t work for the President it wouldn’t be practical.”

Leo let out a sigh and slumped against the banister, “Maybe we should have this conversation in your apartment.”

Ginger lightly wrapped an arm around his shoulders and guided him up the stairs and into her apartment.

Once they were seated side by side on the couch, she took his hand and placed it in her lap, covering it with her own. “What’s really bothering you, Leo?”

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“And it isn’t going to,” she offered softly. “I’ll drive straight to the office, there are guards everywhere. When I leave I’ll get someone to walk me to the car and come straight home.”

He rubbed his fingers over his temples and took a deep breath. “What if I said, I didn’t want to be alone?” he whispered.

“Leo, Mallory’ll be here.”

“I want you,” he mumbled, avoiding her gaze. “Just for tonight.”

“Then why didn’t you just say that?” she sighed, squeezing his hand and shifting closer to him on the couch. “Of course, I’ll stay with you. We can curl up in bed and watch videos.”

“What sort of videos?” he asked, a hint of a smile twitching at his lips.

“Not that sort, not tonight anyhow,” she laughed, her smile dissipating as quickly as it had appeared. “Is that it? You just don’t want to be alone?”

“Yeah,” he offered, a hint of trepidation in his voice. “That’s it. Being out of the hospital after a week of having doctors and nurses around. And not being allowed to go to work.” He ducked his head and gave her a small smile. “I’m just antsy, that’s all.”

Ginger studied his face, her brow furrowing as she caught the way he avoided her eyes. It was clear he was lying, holding something back, but she didn’t want to push the issue, not now. The attack was obviously still affecting him and she didn’t want to make him feel any more threatened.

Grinning, she kissed his cheek. “Okay, I’ll make us both a drink and unpack your stuff, then we can crawl into bed.”

“Sounds good to me,” he agreed. “Can you call Mal and tell her to come over tomorrow?”

“Sure.” Ginger disappeared into the kitchen only to reappear a few minutes later to wrap her arms around his neck. “But just because I’m giving in on the work thing, doesn’t mean I’m gonna wear a nurses’ outfit.”

Leo tilted his head and gave her a heart stopping grin.

She would, he knew, cave in eventually on the uniform, but for now he was more than content at having her stay at home. His fears and concerns about not only her safety, but everyone he cared about, weren’t going to disappear but he could only hope that with time they would fade.

He covered her hands with his own and pulled her tighter, safe in the knowledge that she wasn’t going anywhere.