A/N: Hello everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanza or whatever you happen to celebrate! Here is the next chapter, as promised. It's also the longest one I've written so far, so hopefully that will make you happy.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the great feedback you guys have been giving me and I would REALLY love it if lots of you would leave me a review for this chapter because it's kind of a big one! You've all been looking forward to Jade's return to the RV, so I'd love to hear what you think about the way I imagined it! Enjoy!

On the day he was going to pick up Jade, Beck allowed himself to sleep in a little longer than he had the last few days, knowing that he didn't need to be at the hospital until that afternoon. He'd done most of the preparation for Jade's arrival last night. He made his way through his morning routine at a leisurely speed and made a grocery run with the list he had made the night before, stocking his fridge with all of Jade's favorite foods. By the time he had finished making the couch up for him to sleep on while Jade was here, it was time to go to the hospital.

Beck took one last look around the RV, making sure everything was as prepared as it could be for Jade and trying to fight off the nerves he was feeling at the thought of her imminent arrival. Before he left, he remembered Cat's request and carefully placed Mr. Purple on the pillow where Jade would be sleeping.

Realizing that Jade had her phone back now, Beck sent a text to Jade letting her know he was on his way.

Beck made the now familiar drive to the hospital and as he made his way through the ward towards Jade's room, Beck thought he would be very glad if he never saw these particular halls ever again. He passed Brittani the intern in the hall and she smiled at him brightly. Beck smiled tightly, but rolled his eyes as he walked past her, feeling a bit like Jade as he did so.

He knocked lightly on Jade's door and entered to find her talking with Dr. Williams, who appeared to be explaining Jade's medication schedule. They both looked up as he entered. Dr. Williams smiled brightly and even Jade shot him a small smile. She looked like she was itching to leave.

"Good morning Mr. Oliver," Dr. Williams greeted cheerfully.

Beck returned the doctor's greeting before turning his full attention to Jade. She looked exhausted, but somehow more alert than she'd been in days. Her bruises hadn't faded, but given their severity, Beck wouldn't be surprised if they looked worse before they got better.

"You just about ready to get out of here?" he asked her.

"Yeah," Jade croaked out and Beck deflated slightly at the hoarseness of her voice.

"All your follow ups are scheduled, your prescription is filled, and your medication is ready to go. We'll have you discharged within the hour Ms. West. Mr. Oliver, if you wouldn't mind speaking with me for a moment, we can just go over Jade's medical needs."

Dr. Williams indicated that Beck should follow her. With a last glance at Jade, Beck followed Dr. Williams out into the hall. Just as he was wondering why they needed to be away from Jade to discuss her medical needs, Dr. Williams turned to him with a serious expression.

"Mr. Oliver, before you take Ms. West home, I need to apprise you of a small difficulty we are encountering with her recovery."

"What is it?" Beck asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

"Jade isn't sleeping. At least not since the first day she was here. We believe she's keeping herself awake on purpose."

"Why would she do that?" Beck asked, genuinely confused.

"She's been through an extreme trauma. It's possible she's afraid to fall asleep. She may be experiencing nightmares when she falls asleep, she may simply feel she needs to be vigilant, she may feel she is too vulnerable while asleep - maybe all of the above. Regardless, Jade needs all the help she can get with this recovery and it's going to be much harder for her body to heal if it's unhealthy from lack of sleep."

Beck nodded, noting the concern bleeding through Dr. Williams' voice and the fact that this was the first time she'd referred to Jade by her first name.

"I'll make sure she sleeps."

He had no idea how he was going to do that, but one thing at a time.

Dr. Williams looked at him penetratingly and nodded.

"Normally, Mr. Oliver, we prefer to send minors home with family members only. But in this case, I think you've proven to be much more dedicated to Ms. West's welfare than her blood relations."

Beck felt a strong twinge of guilt at this comment, thinking of the way he had treated Jade over the last few months. He didn't deserve Dr. Williams' praise.

"I've spoken with Ms. West about her medications and follow up appointments, but the information will all be printed out so you should have no trouble remembering. Rest is crucial to the speed of her recovery, so it's important that you make sure she's not exerting herself or doing anything that exacerbates her injuries."

Beck murmured his understanding and he and the doctor parted ways. He stood outside Jade's door for a moment, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He realized Jade must be wondering where he and Dr. Williams had gone off to, so he quickly slipped back into the room.

Jade was sitting up and waiting for him expectantly.

"What, did she just want to tell you to make sure I don't try to run a marathon in the next couple weeks?" Jade asked.

"Something like that," Beck answered, smiling weakly and tracing his eyes over the dark circle under her unblackened eye, standing starkly against her pale skin.

He stood with his hands in his pockets, just looking at her until Jade raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Um, yeah, so I brought your clothes. Just comfy stuff, like you asked for," Beck lifted the backpack off his shoulder for her to see, placing it on her bed.

"I'll just get changed and then we can finally get out of here -"Jade unzipped the backpack as she spoke, but stopped cold when she saw the red flannel shirt on top.

Beck panicked slightly and commenced with this new rambling thing he was apparently doing these days, saying, "Yeah, um, well you wanted long sleeves, but all the stuff Cat brought from your house seemed kind of tight or uncomfortable so I just thought -"

Beck stopped talking, which was probably the smartest decision he'd made in the last several days.

Jade was still staring at the shirt, but as Beck shifted uncomfortably she schooled her features and lifted the shirt out of the backpack nonchalantly, pulling the sweats, tank top, and underwear out after it. Jade carried the clothes into the bathroom without a word, still walking slowly and painfully.

When she shut the door, Beck sat down heavily on the bed and let out all his breath in a rush. Jesus. If this was what every conversation was going to be like over the next few weeks he was going to be a nervous wreck by the time it was over. He couldn't stand that this was the way it was between them now. Tripping over each other like strangers, dancing around the past, barely connecting.

This wasn't them.

Beck started to get a little worried when Jade had been in the bathroom for longer than expected, but eventually the door creaked open. Beck's breath caught in his throat as he looked at Jade enveloped in his shirt. He'd always loved when she wore his clothes. He hadn't thought he'd ever see her in them again.

Beck stared at her until he noticed Jade beginning to shift under his gaze. He quickly cast his eyes about for something else to look at and noticed the bra dangling from her fingertips. Beck raised an eyebrow at Jade.

"Underwire, broken ribs, not a good combination," Jade muttered in explanation. "Besides, I can't even reach the stupid clasp."

Beck nodded. He noticed she looked much more tired than she had before entering the washroom. Getting dressed by herself must have been more challenging than she'd bargained for.

Beck broke the tension by saying in an overly eager voice, "Ok well, I guess that's it! Ready to get out of here?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the door behind him pushed open. Jade's eyebrows rose almost to her hairline.

"You have got to be kidding me," she spit out in horror.

Beck turned to see Brittani the intern, looking terrified. Worse yet, she was standing behind a wheelchair, presumably for Jade. She was now staring at Jade as if facing down a feral cat.

"No. No way. Absolutely not," Jade said and despite the fact that Beck could already see the difficulty Jade's stubbornness was going to pose for her recovery, it was heartening to see this small reminder of the Jade he'd known before someone had viciously tried to break her down.

Poor Brittani was shaking in her scrubs. "I-it's procedure."

Beck almost felt bad for her, but he was equally entertained by how intimidated the intern was by a seventeen year old girl who could barely walk all the way around the ward without passing out.

She's still got it, Beck thought.

"Not happening," Jade said defiantly. Brittani gulped. Beck saw that Jade was digging in her heels and decided that now was the time to intervene.

"Jade, come on. You have to go down three floors, through the lobby, and across the parking lot. You know you aren't ready for that kind of distance."

Jade glared at him, furious at him for taking Brittani's side and, Beck suspected, even more angry at the undeniable logic of his argument.

"Beck," she growled.

"Jade," Beck shot back, looking at her imploringly.

There was a tense pause.

"Fine," she spit out finally.

"Thank you," Beck said sincerely. "I can take it from here, ok?" He added, addressing his last comment to Brittani.

Brittani backed out of the room as quickly as she could. Jade walked slowly over to the wheelchair, glaring at it the entire time. The dramatic flounce into the chair that he was sure would have accompanied Jade's tantrum under regular circumstances was replaced by Jade slowly lowering herself into the chair as Beck held it steady, her knuckles gripping white against the armrest and her face contorted with pain as her ribs protested the movement. It was a sobering reminder that while Jade might still be able to scare preppy interns eight years her senior, she was far from back to normal.

Beck swung his backpack onto his shoulder, now nearly empty except for Jade's bra and her medication, but not before removing a large thermos of coffee. He wordlessly handed the thermos to Jade over her shoulder and watched as it placated her slightly. Though she didn't thank him, the expression on her face was noticeably less severe and her shoulders relaxed slightly.

Beck pushed Jade through the ward, stopping only for Nurse Jackie and Dr. Williams to say goodbye to Jade. Their obvious fondness for her made Beck feel even more warmth towards them than he already had for saving her life. Then they were in the elevator, through the lobby, and out into the parking lot, where Jade took her first breath of fresh air in days.

When they got to his truck, Beck took Jade's coffee, unlocked the car, and placed the thermos in the cup holder and the backpack under the passenger's seat. He was just going back around the other side of the truck to lift Jade into the high passenger's seat, when he saw that she'd climbed in herself.

She was ash white and panting from the exertion, unable to help herself from clutching her side.

"Jade," he nearly yelled, furious with her for hurting herself to prove a point, for scaring him again when all he'd been feeling for days was scared.

"What?" she snapped back, her ragged breathing taking some of the edge out of her words and off Beck's anger.

"Nothing," he muttered, closing her door with a little more force than necessary.

They drove home in stony silence.

The sun was just setting as they arrived at Beck's RV. Beck parked the truck in the driveway and turned to look at Jade. His breath caught in his throat for the second time that day. She was looking up at his parents' house and the golden light of dusk was lighting her face and making her hair glow like a halo around her face. It was magic hour, the time when the light makes everything look the most beautiful. He'd always loved her in this light and despite her preference for complete darkness, Beck had always thought that this was the time of day when Jade was most Jade.

Suddenly, Jade turned to look at him, her black eye, which had been hidden by the angle, pulling him from roughly his nostalgia, reminding him that the only reason she was here with him again was a very dark reason indeed. Everything was different now.

"Where are your parents?" she asked.

"Vancouver for the summer," Beck reassured. He knew Jade felt insecure around his parents, especially his dad ever since the Rottweiler incident and he was glad they weren't here now - glad he didn't have to explain what his ex-girlfriend was doing living in his trailer.

Jade moved to open the door and before Beck could protest, had carefully eased herself out of the vehicle. Beck grit his teeth and decided to bite his tongue for now, give her a chance to settle in before he somehow found a way to get her to let him help her. She didn't have the strength to slam the door as hard as she normally did and the unfamiliar sound of his passenger door closing lightly was enough to let the frustration drain out of him.

He swung himself out of the truck and followed Jade to his RV door. He was momentarily thrown by the fact that she was standing there, waiting for him to open the door for her. It felt so much more natural that she should be slamming in ahead of him, already halfway through opening a can of Coke and flipping channels to find a good horror movie by the time he even got out of the car.

Beck stepped around Jade and unlocked the door. He stepped back for Jade to enter first, but offered an arm to help her up the steep step. She stared at it for a moment as if debating whether to be insulted by the gesture or not, but ultimately it seemed she was too exhausted to put up a fight for now. She placed a pale hand on Beck's arm and eased herself up the step. Beck could tell by the amount of pressure she exerted on his arm that she really did need the help.

He made to follow Jade into the RV, but noticed she had stopped dead in the doorway. He watched the back of her head as if he could read her emotions from that, as she scanned the RV, from the bed, to the couch, to the kitchenette, to the bathroom door. He held his breath until she stepped further into the RV without comment.

She sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed, her posture bizarrely proper compared to her former habit of throwing herself dramatically onto the bed the minute they got home from school . . . that is if he wasn't tumbling her into it.

He watched her pick up Mr. Purple with surprising gentleness, holding the giraffe in her hands as she waited for him.

Beck closed the door behind him and turned to face her. Now that the door was closed, shutting them in there together, it suddenly seemed as if every single moment of their three year relationship was surrounding them, filling up the tiny space between them with tears, anger, frustration, laughter, sex, and love.

Beck and Jade stared at each other until Beck managed to pull himself back to his senses.

"So I stocked the kitchen . . . California rolls, black bean chili, thai cocunut curry soup, pasta, lots of fruit for your smoothies - if there's anything I missed just let me know."

Jade was staring at him with this look in her eyes he'd never seen there before so he cleared his throat and continued.

"And I got a bunch of dvds since you probably won't be moving around much. And I made the bed with the harder pillows, because I know mine are too soft for you, and there's an extra quilt in case you get cold -" Beck trailed off as they once again reached dangerous relationship territory.

Jade was now looking straight at the floor, that mysterious look still in her eye. When she looked up at him again, Beck was startled to see what he thought might actually be the start of tears, but she blinked and the look was gone so quickly that Beck wasn't sure if he'd imagined it in the first place.

"Beck -" Jade said wonderingly. She paused as if searching for words and finally added, "Thanks." Her still husky voice was quiet, but sincere. Their eyes connected.

Finally, Beck looked down, running a hand through his hair. "It's only 9:00. Do you want to watch a movie or something?"

Jade shrugged, which Beck took to indicate assent, and then eased herself upright again and made her way to the bathroom without another word.

Beck stood still staring after her for a moment, breathing as if he'd just sprinted a mile. He turned to search through the selection of dvds he had assembled for Jade. Mostly classics. None of them were horror movies; Beck figured Jade had had more than enough of that in her real life lately.

Eventually he gave up and decided to just let her choose. Like always.

The bathroom door opened and Jade slowly made her way over to him. She curled up on the couch as far away from him as possible and made no move to choose a movie so Beck quietly picked one himself and flipped off the lights.

Despite the awkwardness of her return to the RV after so many months apart, Beck breathed a sigh of relief that she was next to him, even if she wasn't talking to him. He could keep an eye on her here.

He could keep her safe.