"Partners! Booyah!"

Nick looked at the assignment board with a grimace. "It was barely novel the first time, Price. And now it's just getting old," said Nick as he nevertheless obliged and gave Chloe the obligatory high-five.

"Well, I'm excited that we're riding together, ok?" she retorted with a grin. "Nothing wrong with that."

Chloe led the way towards the end of the hall to pick up their radios and gear. As eccentric as she was, Nick thought, he admired the way Chloe had bounced back from the shooting. In the months since Ford had violently targeted the 15 Division, she had come back an even more dedicated cop. And while some of her physical scars were still healing, she mostly seemed unscathed emotionally.

Well, he corrected himself interiorly, except for that secret husband thing—

"Oh, sorry."

Deep in his thoughts he hadn't seen her coming around the other corner.

"No, I'm—sorry," he stammered.

She smiled at him. "Riding with Chloe, huh?"

"Yeah," he said tightly.

"I'd offer you something to chew on," she quipped playfully, "but I just had my last piece of gum."

He let out a light laugh, thinking of the first time Andy was assigned to ride with Marlo and the piece of Trident that had momentarily saved her sanity. But so many things had since changed, he thought wistfully.

The two stood awkwardly in silence. Although he had always enjoyed their repartee, lately the words had come to him sparsely and humorlessly. What do you tell someone after you've let them go?

"Go ahead," he finally said, clearing the way to the door.

Andy whispered a friendly "Thanks" before opening the door and stepping into the room.

Chloe had already equipped herself with her radio and Nick quickly followed suit. While a few other officers were also present with them, silence reigned in the room.

"Scary thing, this counterfeit medication ring, right?" The awkwardness was palpable, but Chloe's attempt at defusing it only rendered matters worse.

"Yeah," Nick and Andy said in unison.

They looked at each other. Andy tried to laugh off the coincidence, but Nick had a hard time reciprocating. Instead, he focused on formulating a plan of attack for his patrol round with Chloe. "Chris and Oliver were going to interview people at the docks. I think we should start at—"

The door swung suddenly open, Sam's inquiring face appearing in the door frame.

"Hey McNally, did you..." He spotted Nick and his voice trailed off. "You know what, I'll just ask you after your shift," he quipped before turning back.

Nick could feel his body stiffen, but tried hard to maintain an unperturbed, relaxed expression.

Staring at the now closed door, Andy froze. "Detectives," she finally exclaimed while jokingly rolling her eyes, "you'd think they could figure things out."

She was trying to lighten the mood but her heart sank, convinced she had made matters worse. Sam had clearly sought her out not because he was a detective at work. He had looked for her because he was Sam. And because, after all the dust had settled, she had decided that she didn't want to live through another moment where she would be haunted by the words that were left unsaid and the things that were left undone. That, despite the history and the hurt, she needed to see where her story with Sam would lead her. She had felt that she owed it to herself and Sam. And, most of all, to Nick. But that choice had not left them unscathed. How do you tell someone that you're ultimately breaking their heart because you care for them?

"I'll catch you later," said Nick, averting his eyes, but trying hard to infuse a tone of carefree friendliness in his voice. He cleared his throat before turning to Chloe. "Price. Let's go."

Chloe gave Andy an encouraging smile before slipping out with her partner.

Andy exhaled loudly, suddenly realizing she had been holding her breath for much of that exchange. She badly wanted to fix whatever was left of Nick and her, but for the time being, she sensed he needed time more than anything. Letting out a discouraged sigh, she grabbed her gear and went out the door. She spotted Sam near the desk area and walked up to him. "What did you need?" she inquired.

"Oh," he let out awkwardly, still thinking about the glassiness in Nick's eyes when he had entered the room. "I was just wondering if you had seen Nash. But she actually called—"

"Oh, she'll be here in ten. Some hiccup with Leo's childcare."

"I know. And you would have known that I knew if you hadn't interrupted me," he said teasingly.

She shrugged. After a few seconds, bemused, she asked, "You couldn't have just asked me that before?"

He let out a dry laugh. "It was Awkwardness Central in there. I had to get out."

Andy smiled a sad smile. "Yeah," she concurred softly as she melancholically looked down the corridor and watched Nick and Chloe head out towards the parking lot.