When he sat her down on her feet once more he took the chance to look her over.  The worry she had felt for him had been returned in kind.  He’d been on assignment when the drunk driver had totaled her car running a red light, and had only heard about it when he’d ended up in one of the Navy hospital installations.  He’d spent the first few weeks of his convalescence worrying about her, until he’d received a letter from Gavin updating him and relieving some of the nagging worry that the hours upon hours of boredom had done nothing to help contain.<br/><br/>He chuckled when she started to pull him towards the house, holding her back easily without breaking a sweat as he reached down to retrieve his duffle bag before he finally let her take control and pull him unresisting towards the house and his best friend.  His eyes met Gavin’s and he let the other man see his amusement as the tiny little slip of a woman dragged him closer, chattering a hundred miles a minute.<br/><br/>He laughed when she finally took a breath and paused to let him get a word in, the sound foreign to his own ears as he relaxed and disentangled his hand from hers so that he could hold it out towards Gavin.  “I’m better than I have been… anything else remains to be seen.  How about the two of you?  You look wonderful by the way Claire,” he said as he tugged his friend into the kind of hug only two men could share.<br/>