Amy had been cleared to leave today, and the blond man was not looking forward to the hours that lay ahead.  He'd made up his mind and knew what he had to do.

Adam noticed the look his best friend gave him on more than a couple of occasions, and he knew that Nora must be mentally scratching her head, wondering what was up.  The tall Canadian hadn't told the petite blonde anything, and judging by the puzzled looks she bestowed upon both of them, Jay hadn't, either.

He wondered what Nora would say if she knew what he intended to do.  Knowing her, and her ability to see the light at the end of even the darkest of tunnels, she would probably protest - tell him that he shouldn't give up so easily, that Amy was worth a fight.

Yes, she was certainly worth a fight, but Adam didn't want to risk the redhead's precious life.  She'd already been compromised once, and she could very well have died.  It just so happened that she'd been lucky that time.  Well, the way Adam saw it, a person could only have so much luck...

To the tall blond's surprise, the little diva spoke up.

"Come on, Adam..." she said.  "You should be happy - or at least in a better mood - Amy's being discharged today..."

He forced a weak smile for the blonde woman's benefit, then caught Jay's sad gaze behind her.

"Yeah...yeah, you're right, Nora..."

They stepped off the elevator and made their way in silence to the nurse's station.

"Excuse me," Adam began, raking a nervous hand through his hair.  "My girlfriend is supposed to be discharged this morning - her name is Amy Dumas..."

The nurse seated behind the generously-sized desk flipped through a little book opened before her.

"Yes...yes, I see that.  I believe Dr. Roberts wanted to speak with you about her discharge..."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Not that I know of," the woman replied.  "It's standard procedure for the doctor to talk to a person close to the patient when they are released after such a serious condition."

"Oh."  Adam wasn't sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief or disappointment.  Very fleetingly, he wondered what Stephanie and Shane were up to at that very moment.

The nurse told him that he could go see Amy and that she was most likely ready to leave, or very close to it.  With that, he turned toward Jay and Nora, and gesturing to them to follow, he started down the hallway to the redhead's room.

To Adam's surprise, as he entered Amy's room, he saw that the diva was already fully dressed.  He couldn't help thinking how very small she looked as she sat upright in the hospital bed.  She also looked quite pale, but then again, she hadn't gotten any sunshine or fresh air in the last several days.  However, although she looked like a person who was just getting out of the hospital, she was still very beautiful.

"Angel..."  Adam stood almost uncertainly in the doorway at first, Jay and Nora directly behind him.

"Adam!"  The redhead's face brightened immeasurably, and then she suddenly realized the two behind him.

Nora squeezed her way past Adam, a small smile on her face as she rushed to the other diva's bed.

"Amy!"

The redhead opened her arms, excited to see her little blonde friend.

"Nora!  I missed you..."

As the two women hugged, Jay nudged Adam on the shoulder from behind.  The taller man turned briefly to exchange glances with his best friend, who shrugged before stepping past him into the room.

"Hey, slugger...How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I've been better," Amy replied, reaching up for a hug, which Jay gladly gave her.  The redhead glanced toward the doorway, where her boyfriend still hadn't moved a muscle.

Adam took the cue.  Swallowing hard, he approached the bed, and his gaze remained locked with the diva's as he neared.

"Well..."  At the moment, the blond man didn't know what else to say.

Lord knew, there would be plenty later...