Wren nodded at the female nurse smiling at him before turning to speak to Leah who walked beside him. Whatever he had planned to say vanished, for a heavy scowl shrouding her face. Smaller bandages still covered several of her cuts, but the larger gauze pads had been removed. Color tinted her cheeks once again after having slept in her own bed for the night, and she looked more like the Leah he knew.

"What's wrong with you?" Wren stepped into the elevator, holding a hand to ensure the doors stayed open as she stepped in. Being early morning, he was grateful for the lack of people. It was nice to not be crammed together with complete strangers.

"Nothing's wrong." Leah ground out the words like she had tasted something nasty. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her scowl remained in place.

"Ugh...You know you don't lie well."

She flicked a hard glare at him and then stared at the lightened buttons by the doors. "I just think it really rude for women to flirt with strange men. I mean, for all she knew, I could have been your girlfriend, and she still smiled at you. Sickening!"

"The nurse?" Wren frowned in confusion, wracking his brain to understand.

"The one who just smiled at you!"

"What are you talking about? You mean the middle-aged gal we just walked by?"

"Yes! Brown hair. Brown eyes? Ring a bell?"

Wren burst into laughter. "She was like twice my age, Princess! Did you see the gray streaks in that brown hair?"

"She was flirting." Leah snapped.

Wren laughed harder; it caused his head to hurt. "She was not. Are you jealous right now?"

Leah's cheeks flamed. "Of course not. I simply think it rude for women to smile seductively at men when they are walking beside another woman."

"Yeah. I'm totally believing you."

Leah shot him another glare at his sarcastic tone. "She was flirting."

"Was not."

"I'm a woman. I should know."

"She was not flirting."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Nurses are allowed to smile at their patients."

"You aren't her patient."

"Yes, I am."

"No, You're -. What now?" Leah raised a skeptical brow.

"She was the nurse who tended to me when I was brought in." A teasing smile played on his lips. "We were simply acknowledging each other. I would have said hello, but she looked in a hurry, so I smiled instead."

Leah's jaw dropped, and her arms began to untangle. "You could have just said that."

"And miss seeing you jealous? No way."

She huffed, her arms crossed again. " I wasn't jealous."

"Was too."

"Was not!"

"You definitely were."

"And you are definitely wrong."

"Yeah, I don't think so. If I didn't know better, I'd think you have a crush on your butler." Even as he said the words in jest, Wren couldn't ignore his increased heart rate as he waited for her response.

Leah seemed taken off guard, but when the bell dinged their arrival and the doors opened, she threw him a smirk as she flounced away. "I'm off limits. Remember, Butler Boy?"

Wren's brows raised at her wit, and he laughed as he followed close behind. He wondered if she noticed how forced it was.

*********************

Leah did hear the lie in Wren's laughter. However, she found little time to think on it when she rounded the corner to see Edward sitting in a hard backed chair outside Fiona's room. His bowed head raised upon hearing their footsteps click against the hospital floors. Leah's heart leapt at the broad smile stretched across the guard's face.

"She's awake! The doctor's are evaluating her right now."

Bursting into tears, Leah threw herself into Edward's arms. She heard Wren's murmur of "Thank you, God," behind her, and couldn't help but whisper her own thanks to the God her butler served. If He was in control of Fiona, she was grateful He chose to give her back to them.

They waited for what Leah considered an eternity before a smiling woman dressed in a long white coat stepped from the room. "I am pleased to tell you, your friend is okay. No memory loss and her cognitive responses reassure me that our scans are correct in no brain damage. She has feeling in all limbs."

An excited tension passed from each young adult listening, but all remained silent as the doctor finished.

"Basically, she needs lots of rest. We will keep her here for a couple days to see how she progresses. Also, her shoulder is looking wonderful from the surgery. She has a longer road to recovery than all of you have, but she should recover, non the less."

No words could express Leah's happiness. She wanted to dance a weird version of an Irish dance she had seen on a movie once but occupied herself by wringing her hands instead. Only when she met Fiona's soft gaze was she able to still herself.

"I missed you so much!" Leah clasped Fiona's hand but refrained from hugging lest she hurt her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to take care of you, Leah." Fiona whispered. Already she appeared exhausted.

Leah shook her head. "You don't need to be sorry. I've been fine. Just get better. Okay?"

Giving the tiniest of nods, the maid slipped into sleep once again. Leah's chest constricted and she threw Wren a wild look, but her butler smiled and shook his head.

"It's okay. She's just resting."

"Are you sure?" Edward moved to stand beside Leah, searching Fiona's features for a sign of life.

"I'm sure," Wren placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "I promise. What she needs now is uninterrupted sleep. And as hard as this is for you two to hear, so do we."

"I'm staying here!" Leah raised her chin in defiance.

"No, I'm staying here." Edward met Leah's glare with his own stubbornness. "You need to rest and honestly, Wren shouldn't even be out of bed right now with his mild concussion."

Guilt stabbed the young heiress as she shot a startled look at her butler. In all her concern for her maid, she hadn't given much thought to him after he had been released from the hospital. And of course he wouldn't rest if she refused to. The understanding Wren's health depended on her struck full force, and she melted at his selfless care of her. She thought further to how he had shielded her before the wreck.

"I'm sorry, Wren. I've been so thoughtless."

Before Wren could tell her it was okay, Edward interrupted. "Yes, you have. Now, go home, for crying out loud." His harsh words were softened with a grin. He tweaked her nose. "I'll not leave her side. I promise."

Not feeling like she had much of a choice, Leah nodded. "Alright, but I'll be back. Tell her when she wakes."

"I will. I promise."

Leah followed Wren from the hospital that morning with a mixture of guilt and joy. But both emotions were over powered as they pulled into the Kingsley Mansion gates. A woman's small frame stood at the top of the mansion steps, and though physical features couldn't be detected from their distance, Leah recognized the woman's flaming red hair.

"Oh no. No! No! No!"

Wren looked at her in alarm. "What? What's wrong. Do you know her?"

Groaning, Leah let her head rest on the sedan's tinted window.

"Leah," Wren barked, " I need to know who she is."

Turning, Leah didn't bother hiding her dread. "Samantha Queen. My dad's business partner's daughter and my lifelong nemesis. Watch out for her. She comes for only one reason."

"And that is?..."

Leah sighed. "Trouble."