Emily sat on the edge of the small hospital bed, her legs swinging in slow circles. She glanced across the room at the man sitting in the light brown plastic chair. His dark eyes were distant, failing to make contact with hers. She knew this was the last place he wanted to be; hell, it was the last place she wanted to be but, he had adamantly insisted. "Andy?" He looked up slowly, "we can go, we don't have to wait for Dr. Liu to come back, she's already agreed that I am fine."

He shifted the sweater and scarf he was holding to catch sight of his watch. "Let's give her a few more minutes, okay?" Standing, he moved closer to the window, his eyes focused on nothing but the darkness. A soft knock drew the attention of both of them to the now opening door and neither could hide their disappointment.

"I thought we could all use some coffee." Jackson Raydor's voice was loud and grating in the small space. "I got you hazelnut," he handed one of the cups from the cardboard tray off to his daughter, "I seem to remember it being one of your favorites."

"Thanks Dad, but…" Emily's eyes caught sight of Andy's slight frown over her father's shoulder, she lifted her gaze to look directly at the man who has let her down too many times to count. 'Maybe Andy was right, at least Jack is here now. He's trying to do the right thing, maybe it wouldn't hurt for me to try too,' she decided. "Thanks, Dad." She watched as he handed another cup off to Andy with nod. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier… I was just…"

"Sweetheart?" She couldn't remember the last time he had called her that. "Don't apologize. I know I've screwed up more times than I've gotten things right. Besides, you're worried about your Mom, we all are."

Clearing his throat, Andy stepped from the window, placing his coffee on the small bedside table, "I'm going to…"

"Andy, you don't have to go," Jack interrupted.

But Andy stopped him, "I need to stretch my legs…and check in with Provenza." He moved closer to where Emily still sat on the side of the bed. Gently, he placed Sharon's heathered grey cardigan across her lap but made no effort to let go of the blue and white scarf. His eyes were soft, yet tired as they searched the young woman's face to make sure that she would be okay, "I won't be long, hopefully Dr. Liu will be back from the emergency room soon." With a soft nod and a squeeze of his hand, Emily watched as the door closed soundlessly behind him.

It wasn't until he stepped into the empty hallway, that Andy realized just how much he needed a moment to himself. Without thinking, he pulled the soft blue and white fabric to his face, he could just make out a hint of Sharon's perfume mixed in with a scent that was uniquely her. This time it did very little to soothe him, if anything the faint smell added to his anxiety. He should have heard something from the team by now, in his mind no news was definitely not good news. Pulling his phone from the back pocket of his jeans intent on calling Provenza, he was surprised to find it dead. The irritation and anger that welled up inside him was overwhelming. In one swift motion the offending phone left his hand to make unforgiving contact with the dull grey wall. Sliding slowly down the opposite wall, his legs no longer able to hold him up, Andy came to rest on the cold tile floor. He leaned forward, his head cradled against his knees, her scarf tight against his chest. His eyes slipped closed, the breath catching harshly in his throat, and in that moment, he was certain of one thing and one thing only; he would never be able to live without her. It was a fleeting thought that had crossed his mind before, but this was different. This time was different, even from dark hours less than a week ago, when he had clung so dearly to a blind hope that had somehow sustained him. But not now, not tonight; his body began to shake with all the fear and dread he could no longer keep locked inside. Andy Flynn could remember what his life was like before her. He knew he could never go back to that life, he could never be that man again…she makes him whole, she gives him a sense of peace that he never realized he was missing and without her, he has nothing, he is nothing. Just a simple shell of a man going through the motions of a life that she would want him to live. The first sob escaped him, only to be followed by another.

"Lieutenant…" the voice was soft, too soft to pull him back from the darkness that held him. "Lieutenant Flynn?" The voice was louder, but it was the hand against his shoulder that made him look up. "I need you to come with me." Andy glanced up in confusion at the young nurse he recognized from their earlier stay.

'Debbie, was that her name?' his hazy mind tried to gather.

"Please Mr. Flynn…follow me." Struggling to pull himself together, he slowly managed to get to his feet, all the while wiping at his face with the edge of the scarf. He took his phone from her outstretched hand, noting the now shattered screen. Patting him lightly on the shoulder, "come, this way." He was surprised when they passed the bank of elevators, it wasn't until they passed the nurses station that he realized where they were going.

A uniformed officer stood outside the set of double doors leading to the private wing that had been their home less than twenty-four hours before. Nodding, "Lieutenant," the officer opened one of the double doors to allow them to pass. The hallway was empty with one glaring exception; Julio Sanchez sat in a single chair positioned halfway down the hall, his elbows resting on his knees. His head turned slowly at the approaching footfalls.

"Julio, oh my god!" Andy couldn't not believe his eyes as he hurried closer, there was so much dried blood across the detective's vest and white button down. But it was the small bloody handprints on the Detective's shoulders that made Andy's heart dip with dread. "Where is she! Where is she!"

Standing, Julio stepped forward, "Sir…calm down. She's okay. I promise, she'll be okay." Andy searched the younger man's face for any sign that he was lying, but all he could find was honest to god hope. "I tried to call, but…"

"Phone's dead." Andy interrupted. "You're sure she's…" his dark eyes remained glued to the smeared handprints, "there's so much blood." His face paled as he suddenly felt light headed.

"Sir, sit down for a minute and let me explain," Julio took hold of Andy's arm, intent on leading him to the now empty chair.

Jerking his arm away, "I don't want to sit!" Looking around for Debbie, he realized she had slipped quietly into the room behind them. "Is she in there? Is Sharon in there?" Andy moved closer. "I need to see her!"

"Flynn!" Julio's voice was loud, demanding the older Lieutenant's attention. "You need to hear me out first. This…is NOT her blood." His eyes moved to the tiled floor as he carefully measured his words, "The bastard tried to strangle her." The sharp intake of Andy's breath echoed through the cold hallway.

"But you got to her in time," the tone of the Lieutenant's voice was not questioning. Julio watched in silence, as Andy began to pace in slow circles.

"No…" Andy's shoe scuffed against the tile floor as he came to a deliberate stop. "It was all over by the time we got there." Once again, Julio moved closer, his hand coming to rest on the older man's arm. "She nailed the son of a bitch in the neck with a pair of scissors." Their dark eyes met as pride washed over the detective, "she did really good, sir."

"And Schaeffer?"

Julio slowly shook his head, "Bled out…from a stab wound to his abdomen. She" He shook his head slightly, "…we found the Captain on her knees next to the kid. She was trying to save him, but he had been gone for a while. Took some convincing to get her to leave him."

Andy's eyes moved over Julio once more, the dried blood finally did not seem quite as menacing. "So, if Stroh and Schaeffer are both dead…" The detective could almost see the wheels turning in Andy's mind, "Why are we here, why…"

"Remember the piece of shit reporter that got Rusty all riled up?" Julio interrupted, yet not waiting for Andy to answer. "He was here, arrived just minutes after you brought Emily in. You can't tell me that was a coincidence," he shook his head in disgust. "Luckily, a security guard recognized him and alerted the head of hospital security. I'm not sure what happened from there. All I know is we were escorted straight here from the emergency bay. Simons was already standing guard…"

"I can't listen to anymore of this!" Turning from Julio, Andy ran both hands through his already mussed hair, "I just need to see her."

As if on que, the door to the right of the two men opened slightly allowing Dr. Liu to step out, followed closely behind by the nurse. Julio could feel Andy tense beside him, as the doctor turned her attention to the two men. "Mr. Sanchez, if you would follow Debbie, she will help you find something to change in to. I'll be sending for Emily in a few minutes and well, she doesn't need to see…" Nodding slightly, Julio gave a gentle squeeze to Andy's shoulder before falling in step behind Debbie.

"Mr. Flynn," the Doctor's voice dropped several octaves, "How are you holding up?"

With a roll of his his eyes and a deep sigh, Andy glared at the doctor. "I'll be better when I can see…"

"You know," Dr. Liu interrupted as she stepped even closer to Andy, "Sharon's going to need your strength in the coming weeks, even more than she will be able to admit. She needs you to take care of yourself. She…"

"Doctor," Fighting to keep his voice calm, Andy carefully measured his words, "I'm fine, I promise.. I won't let her down. Please…enough about me. I need to know…is she okay?"

"She's tough. I'll admit that. I…assume the Detective told you some of the details." Andy nodded, not yet trusting his voice. "She has extensive external bruising to her neck and chest. But, it is the internal bruising and inflammation that we need to closely monitor in the coming weeks. There are over fifty small muscles in the neck that could be torn or bruised. Her voice is already greatly impaired which means there is damage to her vocal cords. Sharon doesn't think she lost consciousness and so far, her neurological exam checks out okay."

"So far, what do you mean by so far…" Andy rubbed his hand through his hair again.

"Mr…" Dr. Liu took a deep breath, "Andy…the long term effects of strangulation can be, for lack of a better word…staggering. Brain damage, heart failure, pneumonia…blood clots."

Andy's head snapped to attention at the doctor's last words. "Blood clots," he whispered.

Slowly nodding her head Dr. Liu continued, "The coming weeks will not be easy. Sharon may experience trouble sleeping; lack of concentration could be an issue; memory impairment; anxiety; depression…"

"Okay…Okay, I get it." Andy interrupted. "What can we do today? Right now?"

"Take her home. I'm ordering complete bed rest for the next few days and I know that she would rest better at home. You both need rest. I want to give her something for pain and a muscle relaxer. She's refusing right now to take anything, but once she gets home I'm expecting you to make sure she takes what I am prescribing. There was some…aggravation to her previous injuries, especially around her ribs. I've given her a local anesthetic…" Andy rolled his eyes again before the doctor could continue.

"That won't last long," he muttered under his breath.

"No, it won't." Dr. Liu nodded her head towards the door, "I'll give you two a few minutes alone, before I send for Emily. She's very anxious to see the both of you. I'll stop back by with her prescriptions and then you can be on your way."

Andy stepped to the door, his hand on the knob. "Doctor," he turned with one last question, "The medicine…you're sure it's safe for her to have that."

The doctor paused slightly, "At this point, the benefit greatly outweighs the risk. Andy, I know you are concerned, I know I've just given you a lot of information to digest; but, I do believe that she will be just fine. I just need to be sure that we have all of our bases covered. Now go, she's waiting for you."

Leaning his head against the closed door, Andy took several deep breaths hoping to still the anxiety coursing through him. The fact that she was just beyond this door should have made him feel a thousand times better, but for some reason it didn't. The knob turned soundlessly in his hand as he pushed gently on the door, stepping inside the familiar hospital room. He was surprised to find her sitting on the edge of the bed as if she was about to get up and come looking for him. The navy scrubs she wore were ill-fitting at best. A soft white sheet hung around her shoulders and into her lap. It wasn't until the door clicked shut that she looked up. The soft mossy green that met his deep chestnut brown held a depth that he could not look away from; so strong, so relentlessly strong. He stood mesmerized by her, it wasn't until he realized she was sliding off the bed intent on coming to him that his feet finally began to move. She was in his arms in a matter of seconds. His hold far more crushing than he intended, yet when he tried to loosen his arms from around her, she held him even tighter. "I've got you. I've got you," he breathed as she trembled against him. Looking down as she snuggled against his chest, he could see specks of dried matted blood throughout her beautiful auburn hair.

"I…didn't have a choice." He would have never know it was her speaking had he not felt her breath against his neck.

"Shh." He soothed. "It's fine. Try not to…" Before he could get the word talk out of his mouth, she pushed back from him, her eyes flashing in irritation.

Reaching down, he carefully cupped her cheek, mindful of the bruises there. "I know. You don't have to explain anything to me, Sharon…I know."

Their eyes locked again, "I love you," she managed to whisper.

"And I love you, always and forver."

His grin was contagious as a soft smile crept across her battered features. Even in her tired eyes, he saw the strength he'd always found so very seductive and all of the tenderness, and all the sadness too; and he knew in that moment, they would be okay. She would heal and together, they would be just fine.

The End.

A/N Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me. Words cannot express how much I appreciate every PM, review, favorite, follow and update request.