WordNet sense 1 (a special loved one):

darling, dearie, ducky, deary, favorite, favourite

WordNet sense 2 (preferred above all others and treated with partiality):

favored, preferred, best-loved, preferent

WordNet sense 3 (held dear):

loved

WordNet sense 4 (using a computerized radiographic technique to examine the metabolic activity in various tissues (especially in the brain)):

positron emission tomography