Olivia rushed to the Emergency Room just in time to see Josh walking out the large double doors into the lobby after receiving stitches from a side wound. He was wearing a new set of clothes though it did nothing to disguise the fact that he'd been rolling in mud just hours earlier. Mud stuck to his hair and even behind his ear.

Learning how things went down through Bernie had left Olivia shaken. Against Josh's wishes, she'd driven up to Ojai after dropping Bella with Erik and Sam. She got the call from Bernie about the attack when she was half an hour away and she'd just about floored it then.

She forced herself to get in her car and drive to the hospital, the same hospital her parents had ended up in so many years ago, where they'd both died days after the other. Bad luck happens in threes, she thought. Wasn't that how the saying went? But Olivia pushed the thought out her mind. She should have gone up with him. They were partners now.

Bernie had assured her that Josh was fine - only a few scratches, maybe a knife wound, nothing major - but she refused to believe him until she'd see Josh with her own eyes. If she had to stitch his wounds herself, she would do it, too.

She didn't care if anyone judged her inside that emergency room, holding onto Josh and never wanting to let go, even after he kissed her hair and told her that he was alright and that if he were to die of anything, it was because she was holding him too tight.

She drove him back to Rosemary Inn, now lit up with activity as his parents hovered by the front door, anxious. With treatments not till the following morning, Helen had insisted on returning to the inn to check on Josh and Craig was more than happy to oblige. Hearing their only son's voice on the phone wasn't going to be enough, not after they heard what had happened.

After they fussed over him for a few minutes, huddled in some kind of private pep talk behind the front desk as she fidgeted in the lobby, Olivia was glad that Helen and Craig then told them to head for the Poppyseed Suite where they were supposed to stay while the casita was off-limits for the next few days.

"Erik is coming up tomorrow," Helen announced as Olivia and Josh began heading for the grand staircase, and Josh stopped, frowning.

"Who else is coming with him?"

This time, Olivia answered. She'd only received ten text messages from Erik threatening that they were on her way, to which she threatened back that she was going to whisk Josh away to an undisclosed location if he didn't back off. "Everyone is coming here tomorrow, Josh. They want to make sure you're alright."

"You should have told them I'm all right."

"I did but you know Erik. He's than worse than I am." Olivia took his hand after waving their good-byes to his parents and they proceeded up the stairs. "You're family, Josh, and besides, you know my brother. If he had his way, he'd have chartered a helicopter. I just beat him to it."

"And?" Josh asked, feeling there was more to the story. One thing about the twins that was a fact. They actually argued over who got to spend more time with him. Of course, Josh had always picked Erik because he didn't want to make any moves on his best friend's sister but things had changed. Still, he had a feeling they'd probably still fight over him.

"I don't know what's up with you and my brother, but I told him to come over tomorrow," Olivia said, arching an eyebrow suspiciously. Josh didn't know how the text exchanges went down with Sam probably laughing her head off in the background. She often commiserated with Josh, telling him he was lucky to have the twins fight over him. They loved egging each other on. "So tonight it's just me... unless you really want him here."

"Do I have a choice?"

She fake-punched him in the arm, eliciting a yelp of pain from him that made Olivia gasp in panic. "Oh my God, did I hurt you?"

Josh shook his head though he had to admit, Olivia could pack a punch if she needed to. "No, you didn't," he said, grimacing again which resulted in another look of alarm from her. But when he grinned, she relaxed and led him through the door, past the living room and into the bathroom.

"Let's get you all cleaned up," Olivia said, turning on the water in the bathtub. "I don't think housekeeping will appreciate having to wash mud from their sheets if I let you into bed like that."

"I can do it myself," Josh protested but Olivia ignored him. She helped him undress, gently pulling the sweatshirt and t-shirt off and tossing it onto the floor. She paused to survey the stitches along his side, frowning as she ran her fingers along the perimeter of the transparent dressing, as if making sure everything was clean.

"All right. Out of the bathroom, missy. This man needs a shower," he said, playfully nudging her out of the bathroom. If he didn't ache all over, he'd have her keep him company in the shower but not tonight.

* * *

After Josh took a quick shower, they drove ten miles to Ventura to pick up dinner from In N Out Burger even though Olivia insisted they could scrounge around for something to eat in the main kitchen. But Josh was craving a big fat juicy burger with fries and a milkshake, he said. And wasn't he supposed to be the patient? Maybe I should call my other doctor–

So Olivia shut him up with a kiss and ordered him to get into her car so she could drive them both there and back, not caring about the rain though now it had reduced itself to a drizzle. Then they hurried back to their room at almost midnight, camped out on the floor in front of the couch and ate. And talked.

She asked him about what happened. She wanted the details and so he told her. Then she told him to stay where he was while she cleaned up and tossed the wrappers and the cups in the trash. When she came back into the living room, Josh was still sitting on the floor with his back against the couch and gesturing for her to sit next to him.

"I'm glad it's all over, Josh," Olivia said as she nestled under his arm. "You're safe. You're alive, and I'm just grateful beyond words. I may have called you bonehead while driving here though, what with the rain and all and me just going crazy with worry."

"Bonehead?"

"Yeah," she said sheepishly. "But bonehead or not, I've accepted you a long time ago, Josh. I just hope you take the hint now."

Josh paused, his brow furrowing. "And what hint is that?"

"I love you, you bonehead," Olivia said, running her fingers along the stubble of his jaw. "Is that enough of a hint for you?"

Josh caught her hand and held it, her fingers still soft against his jaw. Then he kissed the back of her hand, nodding. "That's more than enough, Livvy. I'm just such a idiot for not coming for you sooner."

"Idiot, bonehead, whatever it is, it doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you're here," Olivia smiled. "Anyway, I always knew you liked playing hard to get."

Josh leaned towards her and kissed her softly. She could taste the chocolate milkshake on his tongue. "I was never playing hard to get, Liv," he murmured. "I was just too afraid you'd say no."

"And now?" She pulled away so she could see his eyes. "Are you still afraid I'd say no?"

"Until the day you say yes, Olivia Maystrom Firelli, I will always be afraid you will say no."

She bit her lip, wondering how far she could take it tonight. She'd almost lost him twice, and she didn't want to tempt fate to prove that saying right. She didn't even care if there wasn't a ring. She wanted permanence. She wanted the real thing. She wanted him.

"Then why don't you ask me then and get it over with?" She asked, her voice breaking as her eyes glistened with tears. "I mean, life's too short, Josh, and look, you could have died tonight. That's two times you almost got yourself killed and who else what other times there may have been before all this craziness."

Josh took hold of her hands and held it in his before silencing her with a kiss. Somehow the shock of what had happened that night hit her then. Hard.

"It's all right, Livvy. I'm here."

He kissed her again and Olivia felt his arms wrap around her. She felt herself melting in his arms and though she knew it was such a crazy feeling to think that she was–she wasn't in high school anymore–it did anyway. His kiss made the butterflies in her stomach flutter madly, stirring so much inside her that she'd kept buried for so long. She loved him. Always had.

"Will you marry me, Olivia Maystrom Firelli?"

She stared at him. "What did you just ask me?"

"I'd go down on one knee but we're already on the floor," he said, disentangling himself from her arms to take something from inside his jeans pocket. "Will you marry me, Livvy?"

Olivia stared at him, unable to speak. She remembered the talk he had with his parents before they made it up to their suite. They'd been huddled in a corner and she'd wondered what they could be talking about yet knowing it was none of her business. But as Josh pulled something that glistened in the faint light of the lamp behind her, there was no mistaking what it was.

Oh my God, she thought then. Had she been so transparent?

"I mean, you said so yourself, Livvy. Life's too short and I could have died tonight - but I'm here, alive and madly in love with you–have been in love with you forever," he was saying as Olivia stared at him, her mouth hanging open. "I don't want to be a bonehead anymore or an idiot. If I am, then I'd be happy to be your bonehead, if you'll have me, that is."

"Oh, Josh..."

"I wish I could ask you in a more romantic place than after a take-out dinner of burgers and milkshakes, but what matters to me right now are you and Bella, and just how happy you make me feel." He held a diamond platinum ring between his thumb and index finger. His fingers trembled slightly but he took a deep breath and continued. "It's not fancy or anything, but you know how that song goes... oh wait, how did that song go again? Something about liking something and putting a ring on it? Should I sing it?"

"Oh, no, Josh, please don't sing. You're ruining the moment," she said, laughing and realizing how nervous he was, causing him to ramble on, and even sing.

"Then say yes, Livvy, before I start singing."

So before he could start singing complete with the facial expressions and duck lips, Olivia gave her answer.

"Yes, Josh Morin," she said, laughing. "Anything to make sure you don't start singing! Yes!"

Josh sang the song anyway.