The hospital kept Liam overnight and discharged him late the next morning. Gunnar stayed at Liam’s side, holding his hand and ignoring the nursing staff who felt the need to remind him multiple times that visiting hours were over.

Liam was put on oxygen overnight and monitored for lasting physical or cognitive damage, but fortunately, Damon hadn't choked him long enough to hurt him permanently.

The next morning, Gunnar took Liam home.

Ben met them in the hospital lobby holding a giant stuffed teddy bear. It said, "Congratulations!"

Liam said, “We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.” His voice sounded gravelly.

Ben laughed. "You know I'm no good at gifts."

"Thank you," Liam said. "For helping Gunnar to find me."

"I'm just glad you're okay. You’ve got a keeper with this guy. He went in there, all guns blazing. I'd be jealous if you hadn't had to be kidnapped first."

Liam took Gunnar's hand. "I’m definitely going to keep him."

"You can have me any way you want. Anyway you want it, that's the way you have it," Gunnar added.

Liam shook his head. His voice croaked a little he said, “I’m not sure that even counts as a dad joke."

"I'm going to call all of your jokes dad jokes too, after the baby is born," Gunnar teased. “See how you like it.”

Ben said, "All right, you two are killing me with the sweetness. I've got to catch a plane back to San Fran. You two give me a call when you're in the neighborhood. And I'd better get an invitation to your wedding."

Liam glanced up at Gunnar and then back to Ben.

Liam couldn't possibly think Gunnar wasn't going to marry him at this point, could he?

Gunnar said, "Absolutely. Just as soon as I get Liam the ring."

It was two hours back to Liberty. Pam had been taking care of Liam's dog and checking in on the rest of his pets while Liam was at the conference. Liam dialed her number and handed Gunnar the phone. "My voice – – can you?"

"Of course." Gunnar quickly explained what had happened in as bare-bones a fashion as possible, and Pam was understandably horrified. She agreed that Liam would need Monday off, which Liam immediately protested but relented at Gunnar's and Pam's insistence that he take another day off. When they got to Liam's apartment, Pam was on the sofa with Ferrous in her lap.

Lucky jumped up and ran toward Liam, hopping up and down and barking frantically.

“I’m okay, Lucky!” Liam said, rubbing the dog vigorously while heaping him with praise.

Pam moved the cat from her lap. When Lucky had calmed down enough for Pam to move around him, she gave Liam a tight hug. "Let me look at you. Goodness! Your throat! Why didn't you say anything about your psycho ex? Everyone here is fine. I can just get my things, and I'll be out of your hair.

"It's fine."

The next few days went quickly. Gunnar sat down with Olivia and broached the subject of having Liam spend more time at their home.

"Is Dr. Chandler going to bring his dog and his cat and his hamster at his rat?" Olivia asked, breathlessly.

"Yes. If he decides he wants to live with us, and if we decide we want him to live with us, then yes."

Olivia gave a sharp nod. "Good. You're lonely now that I'm always having sleepovers with Erica. You need a friend. And Puff needs a friend."

"Liam and I are going to be more than friends," Gunnar said, hesitantly. No one had ever told him how to go about broaching the subject of remarrying with his eight-year-old. "It’s a secret, but Liam and I are having a baby."

"A baby! How do you know? He doesn't look pregnant at all."

"There's a blood test you can do."

"So you kissed him."

"Yes." Gunnar's cheeks were warm. "Liam and I have kissed."

Olivia bit her bottom lip and looks down at her hands. "Okay. But I get to keep my room. I'm not sharing my room."

"No. You'll get your own room, and the baby will have his or her own room when it's older."

"And Dr. Chandler?"

"Dr. Chandler and I are going to share."

"Are you going to have a wedding? I want to be a flower girl. Serena got to be a flower girl in her sister's wedding, and she had the prettiest dress. It had pink lace and puffy sleeves! I want a white dress with puffy sleeves and pink lace. Can I?"

Gunnar laughed. "Of course. You can have whatever dress you want. You're sure you're okay with this?"

"Yeah. I like animals. And if Puff gets sick again, it'll be better if we have a vet in the house. Then we won't have to rush to the hospital."