Disclaimer: If I owned Ugly Betty, Betty would be in a steamy love triangle between her boss and her ex...

A/N: One more chapter left! Glad you guys have enjoyed this story!

Daniel heard some light shuffling in his room, the early morning rays filtering through the window of his private room. His eyes peeked open, and he saw a familiar nurse glancing at his heart monitor.

"Oh…didn't mean to wake you, Mr. Meade. Just checking your vitals," nurse Linda said quietly, smiling timidly. He gave a polite grin in response, waking up a bit more and sitting up in bed.

"Umm…do you know where my mother is? Last night she said would leave some clothes here for me?" Daniel stifled a yawn.

"Oh that's right, she was here earlier this morning. She said she'd be back shortly. The clothes are in the bag next to your bed," Linda told him, his eyes drifting to where she pointed. "Well that should do it. The doctor will be in to see you soon," she shut the chart, walking around the end of the bed.

"Thanks Linda," Daniel said as she left.

He let out a tired sigh, stretching some kinks out in his neck. He swung his legs over the side, grabbing the bag and standing slowly. He walked gingerly to the bathroom, slowly shutting the door behind him. Daniel cringed when he glanced at himself in the mirror. His dark locks were in disarray all over his head, full beard was a little too un-kept for his liking, and he looked as if he hadn't eaten in days.

Daniel laughed cynically at his thought, realizing that up until yesterday, that actually was the case. He looked like hell…no wonder everyone was so worried about him. After washing himself up, he pulled on the sweats and the old Harvard t-shirt his mother had brought him, stepping out of the restroom feeling much cleaner.

He sat the bag back down, walking over to the window to open the blinds a bit more. The bright January sun gleaming off the snow made the beautiful day seem even brighter. Daniel released a deep breath as a feeling of peace washed over him. He really was blessed to be alive…he'd been so close to death, but she'd brought him back.

A small grin tugged at his lips at the thought of her, and a warm feeling permeated throughout his being. Life really was a precious thing…this time around, he was going to make sure he treasured every moment of it.

"If this isn't a photo-op, I don't know what is," a familiar female voice made his heart jump in his chest. He turned around, breaking into a large smile at the sight of her.

"Betty…" he heard himself say, momentarily rooted to the spot.

"Hi Daniel," Betty grinned broadly at him, barely taking a few steps into the room before he was by her side with his arms wrapped around her. She giggled at his gesture, closing her eyes and hugging him back, "it's good to see you too," Betty smiled, feeling him release her from his grip after a few moments.

"Sorry…I just-" Daniel gazed down at her, searching for the right words. "I missed you, Betty," he admitted, taking her hands in his.

She grinned up at him, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. "I missed you too. I'm so glad you're okay," Betty hugged him again.

He let out a sigh, allowing his fingers to get lost in her brown tresses and burying his nose in her scalp. He was pretty sure he'd never smelled anything so wonderful. He reluctantly pulled away, finally taking in her appearance. She looked great-well maybe his judgment was clouded-but he was sure anyone would agree.

"Oh, I brought you something…" she turned, digging in her bag and pulling out a little stuffed animal and a 'get well soon' card.

Daniel let out a laugh, "what's this?" he stared at the stuffed puppy, with blue eyes and a book that said 'Mode' in its paws.

"It's you…get it? The puppy-dog blue eyes… 'the book'…Justin actually wrote Mode on the front…those things don't usually come standard, you know," she told him smirking. Daniel couldn't keep the grin off his face. He opened the card, recognizing Betty, Ignacio, Justin, and Hilda's personal messages within.

"Aww…this is so sweet, thanks Betty," he wanted to hug her again, but wondered if there was a limit on the amount of hugs people could have within a three minute time span.

"You're welcome…glad you like it," she pushed a bit of hair behind her ear.

"Shouldn't you be sitting down or something? How're you feeling?" Betty asked, making him sit back on the bed. She sat the chair opposite, moving her bag aside.

"I'm great…especially now that I have my puppy replica," he grinned at it.

"Good," she watched as he sat it on the side table and focused his attention back on her.

"How's your head?" he wondered, not seeing the knot anymore.

"Oh," she waved it off, "I'm fine. No headaches, no dizziness. I'm good as new. Thanks to my hero anyway," Betty laughed lightly.

Daniel smiled, puffing his chest out, "it was my pleasure." He relaxed, chuckling at himself and meeting her eyes.

The smile faded from his lips and he averted his eyes to the floor. "What is it?" she wondered.

"I need to talk to you about something," Daniel told her, rubbing his beard.

"Okay…" she replied.

"When I was-" he stopped mid-sentence, seeing the door open.

Betty turned her head, watching the doctor enter the room. "Hi, you two. How're you feeling Ms. Suarez?" Dr. Price asked her former patient with a grin.

"I'm well, thanks. Just checking up on the patient here," she glanced at Daniel.

"Good. Well I've got some good news for you, Mr. Meade. Once we get your labs back from yesterday and make sure you're in the clear, you should be able to go home tomorrow morning," Dr. Price told him.

"Really? That's great," he smiled, feeling better by the second.

"I know, especially considering your injury. Just continue to take your antibiotics on schedule until then. Once I know more, I'll likely be able to adjust your dose," Dr. Price explained, making a few notes.

"Okay. Thanks," Daniel replied.

Dr. Price glanced in between the two of them, grinning to herself. "You're welcome. Good to see you again, Ms. Suarez," the young doctor excused herself, closing the door behind her.

"Yay!" Betty smiled brightly, lightly clapping her hands together in excitement.

"I know," Daniel laughed at her contentment, glad to know he'd be gong home sooner than expected.

"So umm…what were you saying?" she wondered. He motioned for her to come sit next to him. He shifted on his bed and turned towards her, clearing his throat.

"When I was out of it…before I woke up…I had this dream or…maybe it was real, I don't know…" Daniel glanced at his hands before continuing.

"This is gonna sound crazy…but I saw your mom," he said, watching her eyes widen.

"What?" she studied his eyes.

"Your mother…Rosa…she was in my dream. It seemed so real…I opened my eyes and I was on this beach. And at first I didn't recognize her, but when I did she told me that she was here to help me. And she did," he paused, noticing the confusion etched across her features.

"I know I'm not making any sense," Daniel read her mind. "She told me that I had to fight to live. That I had to take all the strength I had inside and focus on something, or someone to help bring me back. So I did. And it wasn't mom, Mode, or Monica. It was you, Betty. I closed my eyes and I saw you. I thought about your smile, those eyes, that infectious laugh, your kindness. All the time we've spent together...everything that is you. You brought me back," he tried to explain, all the while watching her brown depths fill with threatening tears.

He reached over, grabbing both of her hands as he had earlier. "It's always been you."

"It has?" Betty asked, suddenly not recognizing her own voice.

He gave her a small grin, nodding, "yeah. I love you, Betty," Daniel admitted, feeling her tense up.

"You…what?" Betty asked, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. This was unreal. His hand moved to her face, and he brushed his thumb gently across her cheek. She stared into his honest blue eyes, "I said I love you," he repeated himself.

Betty sat still for a few seconds, the weight of his words hanging in the air between them. This was a moment she wanted to remember for always, because she had a feeling it would surely change her life. She watched his eyes leave hers, and realized she needed to say something.

"I love you, too," the words came out of her mouth quite easily, and suddenly she could breathe normally again. Daniel brought his gaze back to hers and grinned.

"But wait-what about Monica?" Betty wondered.

He shook his head, "I'll always care for Monica, Betty. But she's not the woman I truly love. I'm looking at her right now."

Betty smirked as Daniel moved closer, wrapping both arms around her frame and pulling her into him. His lips crashed down on hers gently, and nothing ever felt so right.

Hope you guys enjoyed that...there will be a wrap-up chapter to follow this one...well maybe a regular chapter and then a wrap up...please review!