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Facing Facts   4:00 pm   Dr. Paige Miller watched as the man lay unconscious in the hospital bed. The beeping of the monitors set a steady rhythm as she watched his chest raise and lower. She was here, not as a doctor, but as a loved one. She sat next to the bed and held his hand gently even though she knew he didn’t know she was here.   “Red?” Bo Buchanan muttered. “Red? Where are you?”   At first she was startled, but quickly realized he was still asleep. Who was Red?   “Red? Red? I need you, where are you?”   She stood up, and went to find the doctor on call. She’d left messages at Asa’s and Nora’s when Bo had first come in, but so far she hadn’t seen anybody else.   Out in the hall, Paige was relieved to see Viki coming quickly down the hall. She looked extremely concerned.   “Is Bo okay? What happened?”   “He’s fine, really, he’s going to be fine. He was in a car accident and has a couple of broken bones. They’ve sedated him, but he really is fine.”   “Thank God! Can I go in and see him?”   “Of course!” Paige paused and reached out to touch Viki’s arm. “Um, Viki, before you go, can I ask you a question?”   “Sure.”   “Does the name Red mean anything to you?”   Viki answered automatically, “Yes. Red is the name Bo used to call Nora.”   Paige smiled weakly and then walked away from his room leaving Viki to check on Bo.   *** 7:00 pm   Paige found herself once again, watching Bo breathe. She knew he was sedated because he needed the rest and to be free from the pain, but she wished he could talk to her.   Just as she began to think of what she would ask if he did suddenly wake up, Nora peeked her head through the door and stepped in the quiet room. Paige stood to talk to Bo’s former wife away from the bed.   Paige watched carefully as Nora stood at the end of the hospital bed and quickly asked, “What happened?”   “He was in a car accident and has a couple of broken bones, but his tests looked good. They’ve sedated him, so he’ll be out of it for a while.”   Nora looked visibly relieved but didn’t say anything.   “Do you want to sit with him? I could give you a few minutes of privacy.”   “No, Paige, that’s not necessary. I’m sure you’d rather stay. I’ll, uh, let Matthew know what’s going on. Call me if you need anything.”   And then she left. Paige was confused by Nora’s abruptness, but she had to admit that she was relieved. Maybe she was just imagining the emotion in Bo’s voice. They’d been apart for a long time, right? She looked at her watch and made a mental note that she needed to start her rounds in a few hours.   ***   12:30 am   As a doctor, Paige loved this time of the evening. Patients usually had just enjoyed visitors and dinner so were in a good mood. Rounds were often a quick in and out followed by a bit of time collecting thoughts and writing them into the patient’s chart.   Since Bo wasn’t her patient, she hadn’t seen him in a few hours and wanted to make sure he was still resting comfortably. She peered through the window to his room and stopped suddenly.   The woman who had been here earlier must have been a little more concerned than she’d let on. Paige took in the scene of Nora sitting at Bo’s bedside and smiled sadly. It would have been an incredibly poignant scene if she didn’t have feelings for the man on the other side of the door.   Nora’s chair was pulled as close to the hospital bed as it would go and the bed rail was lowered. She held his hand and had laid her head down against his chest. It looked like she’d fallen asleep.   Bo appeared to be awake now and she watched as he raised his hand to brush a strand of Nora’s hair back in place. The movement woke Nora and she raised her head and smiled at Bo.   It took all the strength Paige had to not interrupt this moment, but a part of her was mesmerized by the scene unfolding in front of her. They were talking now, intimately, she could tell. Paige had never seen the two like this before.   Usually, if Matthew was around they were civil to one another. When she’d seen them at the station, they were professional. Now, in the darkness and solitude of his hospital room, another side of the pair had surfaced. Connected. These two were connected. And no matter how much both of them denied it they would always care, maybe even love, each other.   A flash of jealousy crossed Paige, though not jealousy of Nora about Bo. Jealousy that she had never known the love, the connection with another person that Nora and Bo still had.   She looked back and could tell that Nora was scolding Bo. But her animated movements were stilled when Bo lifted a thumb up to wipe what Paige assumed was a tear from Nora’s cheek. Bo said something to Nora and she smiled in return.   ****   “Don’t do that to me Bo!”   “Do what? It was a car accident, emphasis on accident.”   “Well, you scared me to death. Matthew needs you!!”   “Only Matthew?”   Nora didn’t respond.   “I don’t see Matthew here. Are you sure only Matthew needs me?”   “That’s right, drag it out of me. I need you too. Are you satisfied?”   “I’m glad that you’re not mad at me.” He didn’t have to say anything more. They both knew they had been at odds for months now.   “Yeah, well, I guess it takes something this serious to see what’s really important.”   “You and Matthew are really important to me.”   “You and Matthew are really important to me too.”   They both realized what they had finally admitted to each other. Had it really been just that simple?   “How are you feeling?” she finally asked.   “I’ve been better, but, I’ve definitely been worse. A broken leg and a broken arm will make it a little hard to get around, but I’ll be fine.”   “Do you want to stay with us until you can get around a little better? Matthew would love to be able to help you.”   “I was thinking about calling Pa. Nigel would be around most of the time to help me. I don’t want to put you guys out.”   “Stay with us. Matthew would love it. Unless, that would make things awkward with you and Paige.” The awkwardness flashed across her features. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think about....Maybe Asa’s would be a better choice.”   “Paige won’t care.”   “I bet Paige would give me a different answer.”   ***   Paige forced herself to watch the two of them talk. It was clear to her now that she and Bo would never have what Nora and Bo had never lost.   The End