"I can hear you, you know." Nate wanted to strangle them both.

The doctor straightened. "Because of the head wound, we're keeping you until morning."

"Not a chance."

Dr. Hal peered at him over his glasses. "Son, what's the rush?"

He thought of Marisa and Ana, alone in that cabin. Marisa was probably nervous, and even if she wasn't, it didn't matter. Nate wanted to be there with them, be there when they woke up, be there to eat breakfast. He needed to put his eyes on Ana again, make sure she was okay. He needed to hold Marisa, kiss her, tell her how much he loved her. Because he wanted to be there, with them, forever.

And he didn't want to wait another minute for forever to begin.

He saw Brady's narrowed eyes, knew his friend had been observing the emotions play across his face. Brady turned to the doctor. "See, there's this woman..."

"Ah." The doctor faced Nate. "You have a minor concussion. Rest is the most important thing you can do. If you want to go rest elsewhere, that's your prerogative. Tylenol for pain, and if it gets unmanageable, come back."

"Thank you, Doctor."

The man shook his hand, held it a moment longer. "Good luck with the girl."

* * *

"SHE'S PROBABLY ASLEEP."

"Obviously. It's nearly five in the morning." Nate hoped Marisa and Ana were both asleep. They sure needed it. He watched the trees speed by outside the car window. Only the white birches were distinguishable in the darkness.

"I called Marisa when we knew you were going to be okay. That was about an hour ago. I told her you were fine and would have to sleep in the hospital. That was before I knew how stubborn you could be."

"Thanks for calling her. And thanks for everything you did. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Man, you nearly died trying to protect my wife. You think there's anything I wouldn't do for you?"

"Nearly died, and still didn't manage to protect her."

"She's here, isn't she? And so is Ana, thanks to you."

"I'm not a hero."

Brady blew out a breath. "You know, Superman's not real. We're all just people, doing our best. Tonight, you were heroic. You called me. Despite a major concussion, you followed Marisa, told me where she was, fought the guy, and stopped him. Now the bad guy's in custody, and all the good guys—girls—are safe. I mean, what do you think a hero is?"

Nate wasn't sure how to answer that.

"A hero," Brady said, "is a guy who fights to do the right thing despite the dangers to himself. You were a hero tonight. You were a hero last fall. You need to accept that you're human and fallible and scared. But you did the right thing, anyway. That's heroic."