Windy immediately returned to Jimmy after seeing Joey Fortune getting wheeled around by an associate. She had to wait outside the room until Christina cleared Jimmy to return to his room on the seventh floor. "Damn. Something tells me things are gonna get worse before they get better."

"Windy." Dana took a seat beside her. "I just came back to see how Jimmy's recovering."

"He's awake, they just want to check him over." Windy looked at the double doors separating the departments then back to Dana. "How's Jordan?"

"She is catching up with Brad." Dana looked as if the weight of the world had finally been lifted from her shoulders. "She really missed her dad. But she wouldn't have had this chance without Jimmy."

Windy didn't respond to her words.

"Windy?" Dana frowned. "What is it?"

"Joey Fortune." Windy spoke with anger in her voice.

"Joey Fortune. I know that name." Dana recalled. "Wasn't he rescued the other day with his brother?"

"Yeah, that's them." Windy gritted her teeth.

"What's with the attitude?" Dana reacted with surprise.

"They are not the upstanding family people believe they are." Windy stood. "Jimmy reported on their shady activities. Joey Fortune spent time in prison for his involvement."

"So, why the concern about Joey Fortune?"

"He's in the ICU now!" Windy looked to the doors down the hall. "Recovering."

"What are you getting at Windy?"

"If they knew Jimmy was here..." Windy stopped before finishing her thought.

"If they knew Jimmy were here ~ what?" The world seemed to have fallen back on Dana's shoulders once again. "Windy?!"

Windy stared down the hall.

"Windy?" Dana pulled Windy's attention back. "Tell me, now!"

"The world as you know it would no longer exist." Windy stood. "The Fortune family would kill Jimmy in his bed."

Dana stood, held Windy at arms length and asked her point blank about her daughter's fate. "And Jordan?"

"If they knew she were his daughter." Windy's eyes locked on Dana's. "They will not hesitate to kill her as well."

"Damn it, Jimmy!"

"Hey, he never knew he had a child until he got back to the city." Windy defended the man she loved. "If he had known he had a child, I doubt he would've ever gone into investigative journalism."

"It's my fault again?" Dana threw her arms up in the air.

"Yes, Dana!" Windy gritted her teeth while nodding. "This time it is!" She headed towards the ICU department.

"Where are you going?" Dana ran after Windy pulling on her short, form fitting, fashionable leather jacket.

"First, let go of my jacket!" Windy ripped her elbow from Dana's grip. "I am going to save Jimmy's life and you better hope I succeed."

Dana turned and ran for the elevator while Windy headed for Joey Fortune.

The doors opened as she walked with purpose. "Mr. Fortune!"

Joey's muscle whipped him around to view the oncoming freight train. "What the fuck? Bull!" He nodded to his muscle, signaling to take her down.

Windy pointed to the oversized man standing well in excess of six feet in height and over three hundred pounds. "Touch me and you'll be on your knees wishing your boss was still unconscious."

Bull didn't heed her warning, clumsily lunging towards Windy. The woman dressed all in black ducked, stepped to her left before swatting his arms to the right. She rammed her two inch heel into his outer knee bringing him to the floor.

She slammed her right knee onto the back of Bull's neck, pulled his nine millimeter handgun from his backside hidden under his jacket. "Bull is it?" He grunted. "You're lucky I only wore pumps today."

"Impressive." Joey slow clapped Windy's moves before scoffing. "He's a rookie."

She rose slowly but dramatically for all watching. Windy tucked Bull's gun into the back of her black jeans. "Stay Bull."

"Who the fuck are you?" Joey tapped the top of his head with his hand. "For the life of me I can't place you."

"Really?"

"Really! I don't go for the rough ones." Joey chortled. "A disgruntled worker? Maybe a downtown eastside whore?"

Joey's muscle tried to stand. "Bull. What did I just say?"

"Stay down, Ma'am?" Bull returned to the floor.

"Thank you, Bull!" Windy continued to stare at Joey. "Bull, at least, has manners."

"He's fired! You hear that you pus..."

Windy rushed the mobster in his wheelchair slapping his face. "Finish that word and you don't leave ICU alive."

Joey Fortune found a woman he couldn't intimidate with words.

"But hey, it's a free country." She looked around to doctors, nurses, and family members of other patients. "Your choice ~ Joey."

"Who the fuck..." Joey was interrupted again.

Windy slapped the mobster a second time, clearly agitating him. "Your mouth is as dirty as the cops you buy off!"

"Just who the fu..." Joey learned quickly. "Who are you?"

"Better." Windy stood back. "It doesn't matter who I am." Then listed her demands. "First, called your big brother, the successful one. You and Johnny leave in the next thirty minutes."

"You better answer this question." Joey raised his chin. "Are you protecting Jimmy fucking Carrick?"

Windy stared at Joey.

"That's it!" Joey laughed. "Fucking women!"

Windy struck the insolent mobster rendering Joey unconscious. "Bull?"

"Yes Ma'am?" The polite muscle addressed Windy.

"Call Robert Fortune. Tell him to collect his brothers." Windy looked to Alice. "The ICU needs the beds."

The head nurse of the ICU nodded in agreement. "We'll make the arrangements."

Windy grabbed the nine millimeter handgun, emptied the chamber, pressed a push catch, pulled the slide back, removed the pin before disassembling the handgun in front of everyone. Held the pieces out for the owner. "Your nine millimeter, Bull."

Bull stood, slowly approached Windy with caution. "Ah, sorry Ma'am."

"Bull? Find a new line of work." Windy softened her facial expression and lowered her voice. "This job will soon be obsolete."

"How's that?" Bull looked at Windy before asking with more respect. "How's that, Ma'am?"

"They will either be in prison or." She searched the faces in the hallway. "Dead. Are you just out?" Out referred to being released from prison.

Bull nodded.

"Bull." Windy got the large man's attention before handing him a business card.

"What's this, Ma'am?"

"A second chance." What Windy handed Bull was a contact for a half-way house that cares if men lead a better life after being incarcerated.

Bull nodded and was about to wheel Joey back into the ward when Windy suggested otherwise.

"Leave him, Bull. The hospital will take it from here."

"Yes Ma'am. Thank you Ma'am." The defeated man hitched his pants up, pulled his jacket down and walked away from his mob life.

Alice looked to her nurse. "Okay Liz, call Robert Fortune. Let's make this happen." She then turned to the family members herding them back to the waiting area. "Give us a few minutes and you can start visiting soon."

Windy found Alice before leaving to see Jimmy. "Alice, I would appreciate the Fortunes not knowing my name or the fact that Jimmy is still in the hospital." Her face was one part fear and one part determination.

"Even though he was a pain in my backside." Alice smiled. "If you love that man enough to do what you just did, he must have some hidden magic." She then assured Windy. "That family will not get anything from me."

"Thanks, Alice!" Windy rushed back to the recovery area to see how Jimmy was coming along.

Christina flagged Windy down in the hall from the nurse's station. "Oh Miss South, Dr. Liu gave the okay to move Mr. Carrick. He's up on the seventh floor!"

"Thanks Christina!" Windy smiled before asking. "See you up there?"

"Yep, another hour of paperwork and I should be up there!" The head nurse shrugged.

Windy smiled and took the elevator up to the seventh floor. She paused, took a deep breath to lower her flight or fight response before walking into Jimmy's room. She heard Dr. Liu speaking with Jordan's father.

"Now Mr. Carrick, it is important to pay attention to your blood pressure. Typically it will rise but I am hoping you can control it without medication."

"Yeah yeah yeah. So when can I leave the hospital?" Jimmy felt a need to get the hell out of there with the Fortune brothers still there.

"What's the rush, Baby?" Windy leaned against the wall.

Dr. Liu looked at Jimmy for an answer.

"Hospitals nauseate me, Doctor." Jimmy raised his eyebrow. "It's the smell! I can't take it."

"Well, you spend the weekend here. We'll get your blood thinning medication sorted out and make sure you are not bleeding." Dr. Liu took his glasses off. "And I'm not convinced you can stay out of trouble!"

"No need to raise your voice!" Jimmy frowned.

"I thought I would try to emphasize the severe danger you put yourself in every time if you are in an accident, a bar fight, even having a coughing spell could land you back here. And you don't want that."

"I get it, Doctor." Jimmy raised both hands. "I will do my best!"

Windy raised her hand. "How long will it be before he can sweep the floors, do laundry, or take the garbage out?"

"Let's give it a few weeks to start light, and I stress very light duty." Dr. Liu put a number out for Jimmy's complete recovery. "Six weeks for a full recovery."

"Damn near Christmas before I can go for a run?" Jimmy struggled to hold his laughter.

"Something tells me you don't go for runs out of pleasure." The doctor questioned Jimmy. "And try not to get in a situation that has you running."

"I get it!" Jimmy snapped. "It's not as if I go looking for trouble." He looked at Windy. "It just finds me."

"Well, try to disappear for a while." Dr. Liu suggested.

"Like a retreat?" Jimmy had an idea. "Wonder if Jordan would like to spend time in the mountains?"

"The Kerron's haven't told you?" Dr. Liu looked to Jimmy.

"Tell me what?" Jimmy looked to Windy then back to the doctor.

"They will be driving back to southern California Monday morning if Jordan's tests clear her." The doctor took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "I should have let them tell you."

Dr. Liu left Jimmy and Windy in the room.

"I'll be right back." Windy appeared to be composed as she left the room. She knocked on Jordan's door.

"Come in." Jordan sounded in good spirits.

Windy entered. "Hey Dana, can we talk?"

"I think we've talked enough!" Dana avoided eye contact.

Brad looked at the two women. "What's this about, Windy?"

"The three of you are driving back to Pasadena Monday?"

Brad looked at Dana. "You said you talked it over with Windy and Jimmy."

Dana fell silent. Looking out the window.

"You were going to leave him again without a word?" Windy stayed calm but stressed their friendship with the words that followed. "Like you did sixteen years ago!"

"That was different!"

"No! No different!" Windy added. "Jimmy saved Jordan and you are going to run. He deserved better then and he deserves better now."

"Mom, we are not leaving!" Jordan objected.

"We have to leave." Dana pulled her trump card. "Being around Jimmy puts you in danger, Baby. He is mixed up with the mob, Brad."

"You are twisting the facts, Dana." Windy corrected her. "He put a mob boss's son in prison with his testimony. He tried to make the city a safer place to live."

"I don't care! Jimmy is putting Jordan in danger now! We go!" Dana stood up to Windy.

"Run now and you run forever and you take the best chance Jimmy has to know his daughter." Windy wouldn't give up on Jimmy. "I'm asking you to stay and give them a chance to know each other."

Brad raised his hands. "It's not unreasonable, Honey."

Windy was taken aback.

Brad walk to his daughter laying in her bed not two hours removed from a life saving operation. "I'm gonna leave this up to you, Jordan. Knowing the risks, should we go or do we stay?"

Jordan looked at her mother, then to Windy. "We stay!" Dana shuddered before quickly leaving the room. "Mom?!"

"Honey?!" Brad looked at Windy and Jordan. "Give me a minute." Then he followed his wife.

"Dana!" He caught up to his wife. "Where are you running to?"

"I'm going to ask the mobster's son to leave Jordan out of their fight!"

Brad pulled her close. "No no, Honey. He doesn't know about Jordan. Let's just find a safe place to let them recover and get to know each other."

"But Brad." Dana clutched his shirt almost pulling the seams apart. "We could lose her?"

"We leave and we will lose her." Brad kissed her forehead. "She'll never forgive us, Honey."

Brad led her back to Jordan's room. He looked at his daughter. "We are choosing to stay."