Prompt – Jinx breaks a hip. Spoiler for S5

Marshall knocked lightly on the partially open door.

"Come in," called the tired voice. He pushed the door open with an index finger and walked in, stopping well away from the bed.

Jinx turned to see her visitor. Mary's partner, holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a stack of magazines in the other.

"Here," he said somewhat sheepishly, " I thought you'd like to look through these as you're somewhat a captive here." He handed her the magazines and laid the daisies on the bed. Jinx glanced at the titles: Glamour, American Dance, Oprah, Good Housekeeping, The Economist. Her eyebrows rose higher at each title. She looked speculatively up at her daughter's best friend. He was giving her more credit than Mary ever had.

"Thank you," she said. "This will help with the boredom. A word of advise: never break a hip. It's horrendous." She tried to shift herself to a more comfortable position. Marshall quickly stepped beside her and gently grasped her arms to reposition her.

"Mary said you fell at your studio?" He pulled the straightback chair that was by the dresser and placed it beside the bed, lowering himself gingerly.

Jinx nodded. "My pas de deux turned into a pax de don't. I don't recommend getting old either. It has distinct disadvantages." She fell silent a moment.

"Mary tells me congratulations are in order," she said quietly, watching him with a sharpness he wasn't used to seeing in Jinx.

Marshall tried to cover his surprise. He didn't think Mary would have mentioned his engagement to anyone. She hadn't exactly taken it well.

"You're surprised she told me," Jinx said. "You're Mary's best friend. Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"Mary seems to think I'm making a mistake," he mumbled. That was putting it mildly.

Jinx nodded, then tilted her head to the side. "Do you love this girl?"

Marshall nodded. "Of course I do." A small note of irritation crept in.

"Do you love Mary?" Marshall stared at her, feeling the heat creep up his throat and into his face. "I've been a terrible failure as a mother. Wasn't there for my girls when they needed me. But there is one thing I know and that's men. And I know when a man is in love. And you've been in love for a long time. But it's not with the cheerleader. It's with my daughter. She's stubborn and scared and unlikely to admit her feelings, but listen to me Marshall. Mary loves you. And it terrifies her. So please promise me, you'll talk to her before you walk down the aisle."

Marshall spluttered. For only the second time in recent memory, he had no words. Verbal impotence.

Jinx smiled at his thunderstruck expression. She tossed the blankets back and exposed her cast leg and hip. "Grab the pen over there and you can have the first honors," she said with a smile.