"Good morning." Kristen's mother, Suzanne, greeted him from the chair she was sitting in. 

"Morning." Chris nodded his head in greeting.  He watched as she stood, stretching her back muscles.  "How is she?" He asked, his attention turning to Kristen who was still sleeping.  He stepped towards the bed and reached out, his hand brushing across her forehead as he moved some hair from her face.

"The surgery went fine." Suzanne reported.  "She's going to be in a walking cast for the next six weeks at least."  Chris' eyes left Kristen's face and moved down the bed to her legs.  He could see the bulkiness of the cast she was now wearing under the blankets that were covering her and cringed slightly--the guilt and remorse he'd been battling since the accident coming back full force.  He looked back at her face, his eyes tracing over her features as her mom continued her report--repeating back to him what the doctor had told her a few hours ago.  "She's woken up once or twice since coming out of surgery, but she's been pretty out of it both times.  She asked for you though," Suzanne said, placing a hand on Chris' shoulder as she came to stand next to him.  "Said something about needing to get you back for sinking her battleship."  Chris laughed in spite of himself and looked over his shoulder at the woman.  Suzanne smiled as she squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.  "It was an accident." She said, reading his thoughts and the guilt in his eyes like all good mothers could.  Chris nodded his head silently as he looked back at Kristen.  "I'm going to go walk around for a minute." She continued.  "Pull up a chair." Suzanne invited.  "She should be waking up soon."  She didn't even wait for him to say anything before she left the room. 

Chris sighed heavily as he pulled the chair her mother had been sitting in closer to the bed and sat down.  Reaching out he took Kristen's hand in his as he leaned towards the bed.  He watched as Kristen continued sleeping--losing track of the time-until she finally began to show signs of waking up.  He stood as she opened her eyes and smiled down at her as she blinked a few times. "Good morning." He said quietly as she seemed to look right through him. 

"I feel...fuzzy." She mumbled, her words slurring together and barely discernible. 

"What?" He chuckled, leaning towards her.

"Hmmm?" She hummed, glancing around the room and then back at him.  "What are you doing here?" She asked as she looked back at him--her eyes glassy and unfocused.  "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital." He told her, wondering what kind of pain medication the doctor had put her on.  She seemed completely out of it.  "Do you remember?" He asked.

Kristen nodded as she ran a hand through her hair and swallowed a few times.  "I need a drink." She declared.  Chris looked around for a cup.  Spotting one on the bedside table he filled it up with water from the small sink that was in the room then brought it back to her.  "Thanks." She said as she accepted the cup from her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as she looked around the room again trying, he assumed, to orient herself to her new surroundings. 

"I feel fuzzy." She repeated. "My whole body feels fuzzy.  I can't really remember anything after we got here last night and I just feel....weird." She said finally turning to look at him again. 

"Your mom said everything went okay." He told her, pulling the chair over next to the bed and sitting down.  "You're going to be in the cast for at least six weeks though, and my guess is that you're going to have to do some physical therapy as well."  Kristen groaned.  "I feel horrible." He admitted.

"Why?" She questioned, looking at him.  "You're not the one in the cast." She stated.  He looked down at the ground.  "It was an accident." Kristen said, guessing where his thoughts were.  "Everything's okay."

"No it's not." Chris shook his head as he looked up at her again.

"What do you mean?" Kristen asked.  "I'm fine."

"You're not fine." He insisted. 

"I'm not?" She questioned, looking at him in confusion. 

"No." He replied.  "You're not."

Kristen was quiet for a moment as she tried to follow what he was saying.  Finally she gave up.  "They must have me on some kickass drugs right now," she remarked.  "Because I feel fine.  Why aren't I fine?"  She asked.  "I'm confused.  Help me out here.  The drugs are obviously messing with my head."

~~~~~~~~~

Kristen lay on the narrow and extremely uncomfortable hospital bed, looking at Chris--waiting for his response.  She never got tired of just looking at him.  From his incredible eyes to his perfect lips, he was beautiful to her and she counted her lucky stars that he had come into her life when he had and had decided to stay. 

"I broke your damn ankle, Kristen!" He exclaimed, jarring her from her study of him.  He pointed at her left foot as he stood up in agitation.  "And we weren't even doing anything kinky!" He said, his eyes meeting hers once again.  "You're lying in bed right now, immobile, because of me."

Kristen felt a giggle building up, wanting to escape, and she tried her hardest to keep it in.  She could see how much this was bothering him but she couldn't stop the words that left her mouth in response to his statement.  "Just like I was a couple nights ago?" She asked.  "Baby, you always leave me immobile in bed.  That's just the way we roll." Kristen fought the smile that wanted to break out but finally lost the battle.  Unable to contain her laughter anymore she laid her head back against the pillow and put her arms across her stomach as she struggled to contain herself. Chris rolled his eyes and glared at her as she continued giggling. 

"Yeah, laugh it up." He muttered under his breath with another roll of his eyes.  "I feel horrible." He admitted again, tearing his eyes from her and looking down at the floor.

"It was an accident, Chris." She replied reaching out, placing her hand against his arm.  "Look at me." She requested.  He kept his eyes focused on the floor.  "Chris." She said, tugging on his arm slightly.  He still wouldn't look at her.  "Christopher." She stated.  Finally, his brown eyes lifted and connected with hers. 

"I hurt you, Kristen." He told her, as if she weren't aware of what had happened.  "Something I promised I'd never do."

"Did you do it on purpose?" She asked him.  "Did you set out with the express intention of this happening when we started playing the game?"

"No." He shook his head.

"No." She repeated.  "It was an accident." She reiterated.  "Please stop beating yourself up about it?" He remained quiet.  "Do you want to be the first to sign my cast?" She asked with a grin.  Chris looked down towards the foot of the bed, then back at her.   "Come on," she prodded with a smile.  "You know you want to..."

"Do you have a pen?" He asked and her smile grew. 

"Uhm..." she looked around the room.  Of course there wasn't a pen anywhere in sight.  It was a hospital room. 

"Maybe there's one in here."  He said as he reached down and picked up what looked like her mother's purse from off the floor. 

"Is my mom here?" Kristen asked, a little confused about the purse's presence in the room.

"Yeah." Chris nodded.  "She left for a minute to go walk around.  She should be back soon." Kristen looked inside the purse, finally pulling out a pen and handing it to him.  "What do you want me to say?" He asked as he took the lid off the pen.  He stepped down towards the end of the bed, pulled back the blanket covering her.

"Whatever you want." She smiled with a shrug of her shoulders.  "Surprise me.  But," she continued and he looked at her.  "Make sure it's legible so I can sell it on E-bay later." She teased.  Chris chuckled as he rolled his eyes and Kristen giggled as he bent down slightly and began writing.

"There." He said straightening and snapping the lid back on the pen.

"What did you say?" She asked trying to move so she could see her leg.

"It's a surprise." He replied, dropping the pen back into her mother's purse.  "You said you wanted me to surprise you." He told her, mischief sparkling in his brown eyes. 

"Punk." She declared as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you intend on using it." He cautioned.

"Come here and I will." She sassed.  Chris made a noise of interest as one of his dark brow rose slightly.  He bent over her and Kristen wound her arms around his neck as their lips connected.  He placed his hands on the bed on either side of her as she deepened the kiss.  He pulled back a moment later, resting his forehead against hers, and Kristen struggled to control her ragged breathing.  She licked her lips as she moved her arms-her hands coming to rest on his cheeks, framing his face between them.  "What did you write?" She asked him. 

He chuckled quietly, pressed his lips against her forehead then stood up.  Kristen put her arms down, resting her hands against her stomach.  "I just signed my name." He told her.

"That's boring." She declared.

"You said you wanted to sell it on E-bay later." He reminded her.  "I didn't want to make it too mushy or personal." He teased.

Kristen rolled her eyes.  "Did you really only sign your name?" She asked.

"I might have said that I love you." He replied, acting nonchalant about it.  Kristen smiled.  "And I might have put my phone number on it."

"What?" She laughed.  "Why would you have put your phone number on my cast?" She asked him.  "I know your number."

"I know you do, but whoever buys this on E-bay isn't going to have my number." He remarked.  "They may be hot."

Kristen laughed.  "They may be crazy." She told him as she reached out, playfully slapping his arm.  "I mean, who would buy someone's old, nasty cast just because it had a celebrity's autograph on it?  You really want to give your number to someone like that?"

Chris grimaced with worry.  "You're right.  I didn't think about that." He told her. 

"Great." Kristen teased.  "Now I can't sell it.  There goes the fifty bucks I was going to make."

"Fifty bucks?!" Chris exclaimed, looking hurt.  "Is that all I'm worth now?"

"Well, let's face it babe." She replied, fighting to keep a straight face.  "It's been awhile since you were topping the charts and...you're no Justin Timberlake." She giggled. 

Chris narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.  He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.  Kristen laughed as he threw some money at her.  "There's your fifty bucks." He said. 

"Awesome!" Kristen exclaimed, gathering the bills up as she continued laughing.  "Now I can buy that leopard print snuggie I've always wanted!"

"You're going to trade me for a snuggie?!" He replied.

"Well, not anymore." Kristen giggled.  "You just gave me money so now I don't have to sell my cast."

"You know," he remarked as he jammed his wallet back in his pocket and sat down heavily in the chair beside the bed.  "It's a good thing you're so damn adorable."

Kristen laughed.  "Come here." She said, holding out her hand to him.

"No." He said with a pout as he folded his arms across his chest and turned his head away from her.

"Stop being a big baby and come here." Kristen laughed.  "Please?" She asked. 

He turned to look at her.  "I'm right here." He said.  "What do you want?"

"I want you to come here." She said, crooking her finger at him.  He just narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.  "You are such a child sometimes, I swear!" She remarked with a roll of her eyes.  "It's a good thing you're so damn adorable." She sighed. 

Chris stood and stepped closer to the bed.  "What do you want?" He asked. 

"Come here." She said, beckoning him closer.  He bent towards her slightly and Kristen put her arms around his neck as she pulled him down-kissing him soundly before he could object.  "I love you." She declared. 

"Even though I'm only worth fifty bucks?" He asked with a teasing sparkle in his eyes.  He kissed her and Kristen giggled.

"That's one of the reasons." She told him, kissing him back. 

"What are the other reasons?" He asked.

"Well, you're not conceded." Kristen replied dryly.  "I mean you never fish for compliments or anything like that.  That's one."

Chris puffed out his chest slightly.  "I would have to agree with that one." He said, nodding in agreement.  Kristen laughed, shaking her head at him.  "What else?" He asked.

"Oh, come on!" She exclaimed.  "Are you serious?  You really want me to list off all the reasons I love you?  Right now?  While I'm lying in a hospital bed with my foot in a cast?"

"You're not going anywhere." He replied.  "So now is the perfect time."  He grinned. 

Kristen laughed.  "I don't think I have enough pain medication in me to do this." She muttered with a good natured roll of her eyes. 

"I'm waiting." Chris stated, folding his arms across his chest. 

"And you're going to keep waiting." Kristen told him.  "I don't think--"

"Oh, good!  You're awake!"

Chris and Kristen both looked towards the door of the room as Kristen's mother suddenly appeared.    

"The doctor is on his way in to check on you." Suzanne informed her daughter.  "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Kristen replied.  "Until this doofus started bothering me." She stated, pointing at Chris. 

"She loves me." Chris told Suzanne matter-of-factly.  "And she was just about to tell me all the reasons why.  Weren't you?" He asked, turning to look at Kristen.

"I was not!" Kristen exclaimed with a laugh.  "You punk."  She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I believe we already had a conversation about that." Chris said, pointing at her. "Are you intending to use that thing correctly?" He asked.

Kristen glanced over at her mother then looked at Chris pointedly, silently telling him to shut up.  She felt her cheeks warm slightly.  She did not want to get into this particular conversation again with her mother standing in the room. 

Suzanne laughed and patted Chris on the shoulder.  "You are a special man if you are able to put up with this girl's sass and attitude." She stated.  "Are you sure you don't want to leave now since she can't really chase after you?"

"Mom!" Kristen exclaimed, shocked at what her mother was suggesting. 

Chris threw back his head and laughed.  "No." He shook his head, his eyes meeting and holding Kristen's.  "I don't want to leave."  Kristen felt her stomach quiver as he winked at her. 

"You're a good man." Suzanne commented.  "A good man." 

"Actually, the jury's still out on that." Kristen muttered under her breath then looked at Chris with a teasing grin. 

Chris gasped and placed his hand over his chest.   "Kristen..." he paused, cocking his head to the side-his face scrunched up as if deep in thought.

"Don't hurt yourself." Kristen commented with a chuckle.

"I don't think I know your middle name." He said looking at her. 

"Nicole." Suzanne supplied.

"Kristen Nicole Miller." Chris said, in mock sternness.  Kristen's stomach quivered again at hearing him say her full name.  "You wound me."

"You had your chance to run." She replied with a smile.  "You didn't.  So deal with it."

"I told you." He said, reaching for a grabbing her hand.  "I don't want to leave." 

~~~~~~~

Kristen smiled at him and Chris couldn't help smiling back.  She was something else. There she was--laughing, joking and teasing around with him while she lay in a hospital bed after he had tripped her, fallen on top of her and broken her ankle!  And all because he had wanted to beat her at a stupid video game!  She should be upset with him.  She should have banned him from the room and from ever seeing her again, but instead her eyes sparkled happily as she looked at him adoringly and her beautiful smile made him feel like a putz.  He didn't deserve her.  He knew this.  She was too nice, too beautiful, too good.  With everything he had seen and done in his life...how was it he was standing here now?  With her?  What the hell had he done to deserve her? 

The doctor came in to check on her and Chris stepped back as the man pulled the blanket away from Kristen's leg to examine the cast.  "Are you feeling any pain yet?" The doctor asked.

"Not yet." Kristen shook her head.  "Should I?"

"You probably will start to feel something in the next couple hours." The doctor stated.  "But there's really no reason to keep you here any longer.  The surgery went well and I don't foresee any complications.  It was a clean break.  We had to put a couple screws in to hold everything in place but I don't think you'll have any problem getting back to full range of motion once the cast comes off."

Chris grimaced in pain at the doctor's words.  She now had screws in her ankle because of him.  What kind of man are you? He was caught off guard as the question Kristen had asked him during their first date came back to his mind.  The kind of man who puts his girlfriend in the hospital apparently.  He thought in self-recrimination.  Kristen's eyes flicked to his-holding his gaze unwaveringly as if she had heard his thoughts.  He could feel her arguing with him, though she wasn't saying a word, telling him once again that it had been an accident and she wasn't blaming him for what had happened.

He sighed. What did I do to deserve you?  He asked her silently.  A small smile lifted her lips as if she had again heard his thoughts.  She continued looking at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the doctor.

"If you'd like to go home I can have your discharge papers written up." The doctor said.

"That would be great!" Kristen exclaimed.  "I was thinking I was going to have to spend the night on this awful bed but if I can go home that would be awesome."

"I'll go get them put together and write you out a prescription for some pain medication." He said as he turned and began leaving the room.

"Make sure it's the good stuff." Kristen told him.

The doctor chuckled as he left the room.  "I'll see what I can do for you." He said.

"Well," Suzanne said, picking up her purse from the floor.  "I'm going to go get the car and pull it around front."  She said.  "Then I'll take you--"

"To my house." Chris said, cutting Kristen's mother off.  Kristen and Suzanne looked at him in surprise.  The words had surprised him as well but once they left his mouth he was suddenly determined. 

"What?" Both women said.

"I'm going to go get my car and then I'm going to take you to my place." Chris stated.

"Chris," Kristen said, shaking her head.  "You don't have to--"

"Yes, I do." He said, stepping up to the side of the bed and taking her hand again.  "You live on the second floor." He reminded her.  "And you drive a Jeep with a stick shift.  How are you going to get to your apartment or drive your car?" He asked.

"I..." Kristen trailed off.  "I hadn't thought about that." She admitted. 

"She can stay with me." Suzanne offered.  "That's where I was going to take her-home with me."

 "All of your guest rooms are on the second floor, Chris." Kristen stated.  "What are you going to do?" She asked.  "Carry me up there?" She chuckled.  "I don't think so.  Just let me stay at Mom's." She continued.  "You can come see me every day." 

"Please?  Let me do this." Chris said, looking back and forth between the women.  "Let me take care of you?" He asked, looking at Kristen imploringly.  "I want to take care of you.  I know it was just an accident but...it's the least I can do.  And I want to do it."

Kristen looked at him for a moment then at her mother.  Finally her brown eyes returned to his and Chris saw her nod slightly.  "Okay." She smiled.  "Your place it is."

Chris smiled then leaned down and kissed her.  "I'll go get my car." He said then quickly left the room.

~~~~~~~~

Kristen watched as Chris disappeared through the door of her hospital room.  A smile spread across her face as she replayed the last few minutes in her head.  If he wanted to take care of her, who was she to tell him he couldn't?  She chuckled quietly to herself as she shook her head.  Normally she wasn't one who liked being dependent on others, but something about the thought of that man taking care of her made her insides feel all tingly and fluttery.  Kevin never would have volunteered for something like that if this had happened when they had been dating--further proving just how different Chris was from her soon to be ex-husband.   

"He's a good man." Her mother's words drew her from her thoughts and Kristen's smile grew.

"Yeah." Kristen nodded in agreement as she looked at her mother.  Suzanne smiled at her daughter.  "He is.  He really is."

"You hold on to him." Her mother counseled. 

"Oh, I plan to." Kristen replied with a sigh.  I plan to.

~~~~~~~~

"Stop, stop, stop!" Kristen giggled a few nights later.  She wiggled beneath Chris where she lay on his bed, trying to get away from him. 

"Get back here." He chuckled as he blocked her from leaving.  "What is your problem right now?" He asked as he propped himself up on his arms and looked down at her.  "Don't you want me?" He pouted.

Kristen pushed the hair back from her eyes as she looked up at him, laughing.  "I haven't...you know...been able to...shave my legs all week because of this stupid cast." She replied.  "It's not very sexy." She shook her head.

Chris laughed, collapsing onto the bed beside her.  "I haven't shaved my legs ever." He said, lifting one leg over her.  "But you still find me sexy, right?"  He asked.  This time it was Kristen's turn to laugh.  "Don't you?" He asked.  "Hmm..." he hummed, rolling over on top of her again, when she still hadn't given him an answer.  "Don't you think I'm sexy?" He prodded.

"No." Kristen replied with a straight face and a shake of her head. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.  "Not at all."

"You know, you can go to hell for lying." He told her as he looked down at her.  Kristen just smiled as she reached up-winding her arms around his neck. 

"That's not all I'm going to hell for." She confessed.

"That's because you're my crazy girl." He said with a grin as he dipped his head.  Kristen moaned in agreement as his lips met hers.  "Speaking of which." He said, pulling back suddenly.

"Yes?" Kristen asked, looking at Chris expectantly. 

"How would you feel about being in a music video?" He asked, leaning down to kiss her again.

"Are you kidding me?" Kristen exclaimed, pushing him away.  "Are you..." She paused, looking at him, her eyes searching his.  "That would be awesome! Amazing!  Who...what...where..."

Chris chuckled at her stuttering.  He rolled over on his side beside her.  Propping his head in one hand he smiled at her. 

"Details!" Kristen demanded, reaching out to shake him.  Chris laughed again.  "Are you...this better not be a joke." She told him.  "If it is, we will cease to be friends."

"I, uhm...I kind of wrote a song about you." He told her hesitantly.

"What?" Kristen asked.  "Really?"  Chris nodded.  "You wrote a song about me?"

"Yeah."

"I..." She looked at him.  "I don't know what to say." She told him.

"Say you'll be in the music video." He prodded.

"Is this like a...a real music video or just something that you're doing for the hell of it?" She asked. 

"It's a real one." He chuckled. 

"Well..." She paused, sitting up and tucking her hair behind her ears.  "Can I...can I hear the song first?" She asked.

Chris looked at her for a minute then turned and rolled over and out of bed.  Kristen looked at him, smiling when he held out his hand to her.  "Come on." He said.  Kristen put her hand in his and he helped her stand up.  He released her hand and turned his back to her.  "Come on." He said again.

"Come on, what?" Kristen asked.

"Get on." He said bouncing slightly, indicating he wanted her to get on his back.

"Are you serious?" She asked.

"This is going to be the quickest way to get you down to the studio to listen to the song." He replied.  "Come on."

Kristen climbed up on his back.  He put his arms around her legs as she wrapped them around his back and bounced her slightly--getting her into a more comfortable position.  Kristen started laughing as a song started playing in her head. 

"What's so funny?" Chris asked as he turned, walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

"I just have these lyrics going through my head right now." Kristen giggled.  "Ride it, ride it, ride it, ride it, ride it, ride it, ride it, giddy up, giddy up, giddy up now." She sang, as he began bouncing down the stairs.

"Tried to get a hold of you last night." Chris began, singing the first verse the song that Kristen remembered first hearing when she had accidently found their Disney Channel Concert on TV twelve years ago.

"Called you on the phone." Kristen supplied. 

"Thinkin' to myself something ain't right." Chris sang the next line.

"Girl were you alone?" Kristen sang, lowering her voice dramatically to imitate Lance's bass.

Chris laughed.  "Nice!" He commended.  "Girl, you could give Lance a run for his money.  Where were you when we were originally looking for a bass singer?" He asked as they finally made it down to his home studio.  Kristen slid off his back and chuckled as she tucked her hair behind her ears.   "You're a hell of a lot prettier than Lance, that's for sure." He grinned and winked at her as he sat down behind what she assumed was the soundboard. 

Kristen shook her head.  "Having a girl in the group would have ruined the whole ‘boyband' thing." She said.

"Yeah, I guess." He conceded.  He reached out and pulled out the chair that was next to him, gesturing for her to sit down.  "But if Lance can't come for this whole reunion thing you're planning--"

"We're planning." Kristen corrected him as she sat down beside him. 

"We're  planning." Chris repeated with a roll of his eyes.  "If he can't come, you are totally singing his part in that song." He stated. 

Kristen laughed.  "We'll see." She said.  "But enough about me." She said.  "I want to hear your song."

"That's about you?" He asked.  "I can't let you listen to it if you want to stop talking about you."

 Kristen laughed as she reached over and smacked his arm playfully.  "Punk." She proclaimed.  Chris grinned as he leaned over and kissed her.  "Just play the song." She said as he pulled back.  She grinned--an excited flutter filling her.  She couldn't believe that he had written a song for her!  Chris looked at her for a moment then turned and flipped a few switches on the board and turned a few knobs. 

"It's not completely finished yet." He told her as the song started.  "So...just keep that in mind."

Kristen's smile grew as she looked at Chris.  He was trying to hide it but she could tell he was nervous about having her listen to the song--which just made her smile more.  She leaned back in her chair as she listen to the song, cursing the fact that her ankle was encased in the huge, ugly plaster cast she was sporting now.  If her ankle wasn't broken she would totally be up dancing to this song.  She laughed at the pole dancing reference he had put in there and by the end of the song she had decided that she was more in love with Chris than ever before.  She's always been a sucker when it came to hearing his sexy voice but now that he was singing about and had written this song about her solidified the fact that she was madly, passionately, and hopelessly in love with this man. 

"Yes." She said as the song ended.  Chris turned to look at her.  "Yes." She nodded as she leaned towards him, pressing her mouth against his.  She combed the fingers of one hand through his dark hair as she kissed him warmly.  "When do we start shooting?"