Hey guys, so here's the next chapter for this one, hope its not too shabby :P I'm planning only one having one more chapter to this story, two at a push maybe but yeah...It will be finished eventually! Thank you for reading :)

His hands were shaking. In anger or in fear, it didn't matter because his hands were shaking and they never shook. He was always steady and calm, the epitome of professionalism and yet somehow that detachment had failed him and his career was about to be over. And still, he couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Rather than staring at the hands that were still shaking, he clenched them into fists, closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the hospital wall. He refused to be father from Stevie than necessary which is why he was sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs that filled the waiting room that was a few feet away from Stevie's room.

His head was a mess, he couldn't help but remember how hopeless he'd been after leaving the army and how ecstatic he was when the police force accepted him, what was he supposed to do now? Being fired from the police wasn't likely to make a good reference and, if he was honest with himself, his job was his life, more so than the army maybe in that being part of the police hadn't plagued him with nightmares and memories that gave way to tears. Stevie was ok though, he gotten her out of there, just not in time to spare her any hurt. He'd lost his job and broken his word all in one day and all of a sudden it was like he couldn't breathe. The air rushed out of his lungs and images of Stevie hurt flashed through his mind, squeezing his eyes only served to brighten the images, make the shade of her blood even more vivid than the dark red he knew had been painted across her face. A dark red he imagined coating his hands.

Smithy was so wrapped up in his thoughts and focusing on gasping for air without alerting any of the nurses walking by, that he missed the sound of footsteps approaching him.

"The DI says leave and you move 10 feet away. Typical" Callum Stone sighed as he dropped his large frame into a chair next to Smithy's. "Are you trying to piss him off?"

"I just can't leave her"

"Yeah, figured that one out mate. Hell, half the stations figured that out after this morning's show. What were you thinking!? You almost got yourself killed!" Never mind trying to piss the DI off further, it seemed as if Stone was already angry at him, and maybe he was although the hand that landed heavily on Smithy's shoulder a second after the words had left him mouth seemed to prove otherwise. It was awkward and tense and all Callum could say was "We'll get your job back" A promise that couldn't be kept but Smithy appreciated the support; at least someone was on his side.

"What're they talking about in there?" Smithy nodded his head towards the room where Neil, Ben, Nate, Jo and Grace were still gathered in.

"Just taking her statement. Doubt they'll be long though, she's unfocused, tired probably"

"I need to get back in there!"

Callum shook his head, almost as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, and tried to restrain himself from laughing at the absurdity of that request.

"No way are you getting back in there Smithy, I wasn't kidding when I told you the DI was pissed y'know!"

Smithy found he had to restrain himself from just walking straight back into her room, no matter what the DI had said but he knew Callum was right, it may have been a difficult truth to digest and he really didn't agree with it but he knew, deep down, that he couldn't just go marching back into the room. He'd saved her and now he needed to find a way to save his career although that plan was soon put to an end.

"He's not the only one that's pissed Inspector Smith"

Stone mumbled a few curse words under his breath, almost like he was just as annoyed that they hadn't figured a way out before it had come to this. Smithy on the other hand stayed silent as he rose to his feet to face Jack Meadow, the guy who was going to fire him.

"What were you thinking!? You compromised a major operation due to personal feelings; you took up valuable resources trying to discover information that you could have given us had you followed instructions. You put both your own life and the life of DS Moss at risk and in turn managed to knowingly destroy your career. I can't have an Inspector who won't follow orders in life threatening situations, who doesn't put the needs of the team before his own personal issues. I should fire you right here and now." Jack breathed, his face an unnatural shade of red as he yelled at Smithy who could only stand there and stare at him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, just one reason why I should understand what you did!"

This was the part where he should apologise and promise it never happen again. He should say he made a mistake and that he had learnt his lesson. He intended to say all those things because it would never happen again and he was sorry that he'd wasted resources and endangered lives, God he was sorry, but he couldn't admit to having made a mistake, the words just got stuck in his throat. All he could see in his head was Stevie's small form shaking in the grip of a madman, he imagined what it'd have been like if he hadn't been there. She'd spent the entire time staying focused on him, would she have panicked without him to look at, to focus on? Would she have given into the pain much earlier if she hadn't been stubbornly brave just for his sake? Would she have survived at all?

He could have argued that in the moment Stevie became a hostage she also became a member of the public and his duty was to protect the public. He could have argued that he translated valuable information through the radio he was well aware had been switched on when he'd dropped it to the floor. He could have argued that Stevie herself had done the same thing when Stuart Turner when they'd been put in the same situation; she'd chosen to stay with a collage, a friend, rather than leave him injured. He could have argued that Mickey would have done the exact same thing, as he was sure Terry would, and even Stone.

"I couldn't leave her"

That's all he had. None of the other reasons mattered because the truth of it was he'd always been half in love with her and seeing her, eyes wide with fright and fighting to maintain control, almost like she hadn't expected anyone else to save her, had pushed him over the edge. He was falling, and flailing desperately for something to cling to because falling in love wasn't something he did, but in the end none of it matter because he'd do the same thing again given the choice, whether his career depended on it or not.

"Seriously?" Callum muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes in expression of how moronic he thought Smithy was. It was clear Stone thought he should have voiced all those other arguments, arguments that may have kept him his job.

He'd never been a liar though.

"Well damn, Smithy! I thought you'd have given me something better than that" Clearly everyone had been expecting more than he could give today. Jack was running his hand through his thinning hair, his eyes down cast and his brow knit together in thought. "I'm putting you on probation. You run everything through either me or Neil and you work extensively with Sergeant Stone. And for God's sake Smithy, tell her how you feel!" Jack huffed before turning and stalking away, pulling out his phone and dialing the station no doubt.

Stunned, Smithy didn't register the fact that Callum had turned to pull him into a hug until he felt the claps on the back and the congratulations sounding in his ears.

"I'm not fired?" he stuttered, his mind refusing to grasp the fact that his whole life hadn't been turned upside down like he'd planned. Suddenly he'd been handed back his job, granted years at Sun Hill Station and a chance to talk to Stevie without Neil hassling him, although he was sure there were plenty more lectures to come.

Suddenly he had a future again.