Authors Note: So I was wondering around YouTube and 'Pay Up' was everywhere, I've been trying like hell to avoid it but it seems intent on finding me. I refuse to watch it, any part of it but I felt the sudden need to write a fix it fic so here we are. How I think Pay Up could have happened and I think I prefer my version to the show but maybe I'm biased. Feedback is loved and appreciated.

Wake Up Call

It was beeping and voices that got her attention, that made her realise that something had changed and she tried to open her eyes, the task seeming to be harder than she remembered it being. There was too much light and no sooner had she managed to partially accomplish her goal she closed her eyes again. She heard herself moan, a quiet sound that came out rather pained and she realised something was very wrong. She forced her eyes to open again, the light not seeming so bad this time but it took a moment for her surroundings to turn clear enough for her to see.

She was in a hospital room; at least it looked like a hospital room. There were wires everywhere, a tube down her throat that she had to fight the urge to struggle against. The beeping had been the machine next to her bed, monitoring her and the voices were doctors and nurses passing by the door. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what was going on, why was she in the hospital?

The last thing she remembered was the diner, she'd been with the Dunbrook kid and she'd called Don... there was nothing after that and she felt herself starting to panic slightly. The beeping from the machine sped up, became more erratic and it must have caught someone's attention because the door opened. A nurse walked in, a soft smile on her face along with a look of surprise.

"It's nice to see you awake Detective Angell," the woman said. "The doctor is on his way."

Jess wanted to speak, tried to, but all she managed was a strangled noise that sounded nothing like her voice. A doctor arrived a moment later, the same soft smile on his face as he walked over to her and looked at her vitals.

"I think we can remove the tube, she'd breathing fine on her own," the doctor stated. Jess kept quiet, panicking silently as the doctor continued to check her stats and was soon join by another doctor that removed the tube from her throat and helped her to drink the water one of the nurses brought in for her.

"Don?" she managed to ask, the one word feeling harder to say than it should but she needed to ask, she needed to know where he was. The doctor looked confused, not recognising the name but a nurse put a hand on Jess's arm with a smile.

"We've notified Detective Flack that you're awake, he's on his way," she stated and Jess nodded. She felt an irrational urge to cry, she didn't understand what was happening.

"Do you know why you're here?" the doctor questioned and Jess shook her head. "You were shot, I don't have all the details but I was told you were with a witness in a case. You were at a diner when someone tried to kill the witness, you were hit in process."

Memories came back slowly and she nodded her head, closing her eyes and pushing back the urge to cry which seemed to only be getting stronger, where was Don?

The doctor continued talking, explaining her condition and she was only able to take half of it in but she got the important stuff. She knew she'd been shot, she knew it was a miracle she'd survived, she knew she'd been in a coma for two months and she knew that if the doctor kept talking to her that she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying. He seemed to sense this because he stopped, told her he'd be back later to check on her and then left. The nurse once again rested a hand on her arm with a reassuring smile that did nothing to help Jess feel better.

Don rushed into the hospital, he'd feared the worst when the hospital had called and hadn't been able to believe it when they told him Jess was awake. He was glad he'd been sitting at his desk at the time because his legs certainly wouldn't have been able to support him if he'd been standing. He didn't say anything just stared at his desk for a few seconds and then gathered enough of himself together to walk to the locker room. Danny had been with him looking down right confused and then terrified when he'd followed Don to the lockers and watched his friend cry.

Don had been quick to tell him Jess was fine, that she was awake but he hadn't been able to say more than that. Danny had told him to get his things while he let the Captain know they were going to the hospital. He had gone back to his desk, grabbed his jacket and met Danny at the door. Danny had trusted him to drive so Don had sat in the passenger seat staring out the window and praying that this wasn't a mistake because if it was it would break him.

He all but ran down the corridor to Jess's room and looked through the doorway. She was laid on the bed, staring at the window looking lost and scared but her eyes were open, the tube down her throat was gone along with most of the other tubes and wires. He took a moment to pull himself together, to breathe because from the look on her face the last thing she needed was or him to break down in front of her. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Danny stood there with a relieved smile on his face.

"I'll go call the others and Jess's family, let them all know," he said and Don nodded as his friend left. He walked into the room, his footsteps catching Jess's attention and she tore her gaze from the window to him. She smiled slightly, not the smile he was used to from her but at this point he'd take anything. He forced himself to move over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed but scared to touch her.

"Hey," he said quietly and for a second she looked like she was going to cry.

"Hey," she breathed and reached a shaky hand for his. He took it and once he had hold of it he decided he wasn't letting go again anytime soon, security would have to drag him out of here before he left again. He kicked himself for not being here when she woke up, he should have been here but his shift didn't end until later that night. He'd been here for most of his off hours since he'd brought her in here. He'd slept here, ate here, watched the games here with Danny.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here..." he began but Jess shook her head.

"You're here now," she whispered and Don leaned down kissing her forehead and leaving his lips there for several seconds before he pulled back.

"Danny's calling your dad and then everyone at the lab," he told her, not knowing what else to say, scared he'd do or say the wrong thing because at that moment she looked fragile, too fragile and seeing her that way broke something in him. "They'll probably all be here before long."

"Detective Flack, I see you've come back," the nurse said as she entered the room. Joyce had been looking after Jess since she'd come out of surgery and had made a habit of trying to shoo Don out of the hospital to clean up and change, sometimes Don had needed the push because if he'd had his way he would have been glued to the chair beside Jess's bed for the last two months. "You're becoming part of the furnishing around here, I was thinking of suggesting redecorating the room around you so you'd fit in better," she continued turning her attention to Jess as she grabbed the chart from the end of the bed. "Do you know how much time he's spent in this hospital; I had to force him to go home and shower."

Jess smiled slightly and tried to pull Don's hand closer to her, she didn't seem to have the strength though so Don moved it for her. Jess frowned at her hands, looking even more upset and the nurse tapped a pen on her leg as she wrote in the file.

"Don't worry yourself, most of your strength will come back in the next day or so, you haven't used your body in two months, it will take some time to get everything going properly again," Joyce told her putting Jess's file back and leaving just as Danny came in.

"Hey Angell, you're looking a little better than you were yesterday," Danny commented as he moved to stand beside the bed. "I called your dad; he should be here in about twenty minutes along with the rest of your family. Mac said he'd keep everyone else at the lab until a little later, give you some time to settle but he'll be here with the rest of them tonight."

"Thanks," Jess said her voice still a whisper and Danny shrugged.

"Not a problem, it's just good to have you back with us," Danny stated "I'm gonna head back to the lab and let you two have some time before you started getting mobbed. I'll come back with the others tonight."

They watched him leave and were silent for a few moments. "How are you feeling?" Don questioned desperate for something to say but realising it was probably the most ridiculous thing he could have asked.

"I've been better," Jess told him and once again he thought she was going to cry. "I'm not so bad now; I was scared when I woke up. I didn't understand what was happening and..."

Her voice cracked halfway through and Don knew she had to have been terrified to be admitting to it so easily. He was surprised when his voice came out evenly. "And what?"

"You weren't here," she mumbled and Don felt guilty once again for having been at work when she woke up. "But its fine, I've been out for two months, you couldn't be here all the time," she added and took a deep, shaky breath to calm herself. "What I have missed?"

Don was grateful for the lifeline, something else to focus on and Don started telling her about everything that happened in the last two months. He told her about the Dunbrook case, the shooting at the bar and how Danny had only just gotten out of a wheel chair making sure not to panic or overwhelm her as he did so. He left out killing the guy that had shot her, how scared he'd been when she was in surgery and how he'd feared she wasn't going to wake up afterwards. She didn't need to know any of that now, that was for later, when she was better, stronger.

Her family soon arrived and Don stood up to let them through. Jess tightened her grip on his hand as much as she could in her condition, looking slightly panicked as though she thought he was leaving. He manoeuvred himself around the bed; taking hold of her other hand and sitting in the chair, close enough to keep hold of her but far enough to allow her family to have their time with her.

Authors Note: So what do you guys think, a one shot or a should I continue?