Disclaimer: Don't own Rookie Blue.
A.N. - A friend gave me a challenge - write about Andy getting hurt during the takedown and what happens when she has to go to the hospital (even though we're both pretty sure this doesn't happen). I struggled with it and was thinking of posting it as a prompt on TWC...then I was talking to someone about a football game and they mentioned a concussion and this just popped into my head (thankfully he's okay).
A.N.2 - Thankfully I know nothing about the medical issues that take place. Any medical mistakes that I've written are my own (and hopefully I'll never know of this stuff).
Big THANK YOU to margie311 - that conversation was the kick in the behind that I needed to finish this.
Enjoy!
Sam glanced at the files one last time as people filed into the Parade Room. He was thankful that he had managed to make sure that everyone close to them was not on this particular night shift, with the exception of Gail. She had switched at the last second and he didn't have a choice.
Traci knew that the bust was going to happen, but caved when Sam explained that Jerry would tell her the same. It was her week with Leo and it was important for her to be there with her son. Even though it was a late night bust, he told her that if Leo woke, he would want Traci. The paperwork for the bust could take hours and there was a chance that she wouldn't be home when Leo woke up for the day. So she left, with strict instructions for him to call when everything was over.
Detective Watson was working with him on the case. The two of them worked well together. Watson was happy to sit behind the desk (he had been injured on a case) while Sam needed action. Sam was running the show out in the field and would then hand over the case as soon as they got to the barn.
Sam walked into the room and slapped the pictures on the board. He heard Gail give a small gasp and saw some raised eyebrows but no one said anything. "As some of you may know, Officers Collins and McNally disappeared a few months ago to work undercover for Callaghan on Project Dakota. There is going to be a mass takedown today, shutting down the entire operation. We're shutting down one of the smaller parts.
"Remember, McNally and Collins are there but you cannot talk to them like friends. Arrest them with the others. If they run, chase after them. And most importantly, don't shoot blindly, we need them back in this division." He stopped and glanced around.
"Detective?" one of the officers in the back called out. "Do they know that we're coming today?"
Flashback
"You ready for this Swarek?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah. And before you ask, I know, even if it's her I can't say anything more than the message." He slipped out of the car and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head.
He jogged for two blocks and then hid in the shadows. In case someone was watching, he pulled out his cell phone and faked dialling before pressing the phone to his ear.
Less than two minutes later, a man turned the corner and walked towards him.
Sam gave a small sigh of relief. As much as he wanted it to be her, it was easier with Nick. As Nick came near, he started to talk. "Within a week, ten days tops. We can't screw this up." The plan was for him to pretend to listen to a voice on the other end as Nick strolled past.
Nick surprised him. As soon as he passed Sam, he bent down to tie his shoe. "She really misses you," he murmured softly.
Sam froze momentarily and then said "thank you, we'll be in touch," into the phone as Nick stood.
Sam waited for Nick to round the next corner before bolting to the car. "Collins is an idiot," he told Watson as soon as he was safely inside with the door closed. "Tell your people to follow him until he reaches the cover apartment."
Watson reached for the radio and gave the command without a question.
End Flashback
Sam shook his head. "No. They know that it is within a week but the takedown has been pushed off three times already. We don't have time to discuss this. You have your assignments. Get out there and wait for my signal."
He didn't drive his own car. Instead, he slipped into the squad car with Gail. Technically she should have been driving with a T.O. but Oliver and Marlo were both off duty.
He waited until they were a block away before speaking. "If I can, I'll try to make sure you have a chance to talk to him at some point."
"Why would I want that?"
"Gail..." He owed it to Nick so even if Gail didn't want it, it would happen.
"No, he just picked up and left, without a goodbye. We were together, he could have at least left a note or something." She pulled up and killed the engine. "Why is there an ambulance here?"
"It's a takedown. People can get hurt. I'd rather have them here than have to wait for them to arrive."
Gail sighed. "How long do we have to wait?"
Sam pulled out his phone. "Waiting for Callaghan's signal." He glanced at his watch. He knew that the bust was supposed to take place 'around midnight' - whatever that meant. They were both quiet until his phone buzzed and he reached for the radio. "Stack it up outside the building and wait for my signal."
Andy glanced at Nick. She had a gut feeling that today was the day. She was tired of undercover. She wanted to see her friends, she wanted to see her parents, she wanted to go back to the streets. She missed everything about her life and had a feeling that this would be her first and last deep cover assignment. She couldn't go this long without her life again.
They were at the warehouse sorting through goods when she thought she heard something. She didn't have time to process what it was before the doors flew open and men and women with guns and vests ran in screaming "POLICE" and to get down on the ground.
He was not one of the first ones in but he still saw it happen. In the pandemonium after they entered the warehouse, Andy was knocked against a wall. She went down and didn't get up.
He cursed internally and made sure he was covered before moving towards her. He called out to the other officers to start loading the vans, seeing as they had most of the men and women from the warehouse in custody. He waited for the "room clear" call before calling over the radio to send in the medics because they had one woman down.
He knelt next to Andy and felt for her pulse. He swallowed his sigh of relief when he felt it. The medics ran in and quickly checked her out before loading her into a stretcher. One of them muttered that it looked like a concussion but he wasn't sure why she wasn't awake yet.
Sam cuffed her to the stretcher before following them out. Outside, it was not as chaotic as he thought it would be. The officers were loading everyone into vans. He called out to one of the more senior officers that he was going to accompany 'the perp' to the hospital.
Suddenly Nick started struggling against the officer holding him. "She's my sister! I need to be with her."
Sam looked around. "Peck!" he yelled. "Take the brother in your squad car. Find out her medical history so that the doctors know what they're dealing with." He silently thanked Nick for yelling. It would get Nick "processed" before anyone else was brought in.
Gail shot him a nasty look as the doors to the ambulance closed.
Once in the ambulance, Sam waited until they were two blocks away before uncuffing her. The medic in the back with him started to protest. "She's an undercover cop," Sam said softly before turning to look at her. "C'mon McNally, you need to wake up." He gently touched her cheek, feeling some of the tension in his body fall away as he touched her. "Please Andy, wake up."
When they reached the hospital, the ER doctor rushed to meet them. He rolled Andy into a room and motioned for a small waiting room where Sam could sit.
Sam sat and rubbed his tired face for a few minutes before realizing that he needed to get ahold of Tommy and Traci. He decided to call Traci first - she was better at delivering news.
"Sam, is it over?" Her tone was breathless, like she had run to the phone. He wondered if she slept at all since he sent her home.
"Yeah, it's over."
"You back at the station?"
"No..." he didn't know how to tell her.
"Sam?" His tone scared her. "Then where are you?"
"Hospital. Andy hit her head during the bust. I'm waiting for a doctor to update me."
"Which hospital?"
"St. Pats."
"My Mom will watch Leo, I'll be there soon."
"Traci?" He hoped she hadn't disconnected yet. "Can you call Tommy?"
"He's on vacation without reception. I'll call and leave him a message." She hung up.
Traci arrived shortly after they hung up. He wondered how many laws she broke in the rush but decided against chastising her. After all, had he been in her place, he probably would have done the same. Dov and Chris showed up as well so he knew she must have called them.
A minute later a doctor appeared. "Are any of you Nick?" he asked.
Traci and Sam shared a look and Traci mouthed "go" to him.
Sam stood. "What's going on?"
"She woke up. We need to run some tests but she won't calm down. We can't sedate her until we've ruled a concussion out and right now I'm leaning towards the fact that she does have a concussion."
Sam nodded and followed the doctor to Andy. He knew that the doctor didn't believe him but he didn't care. He just needed to see Andy.
As soon as they reached the room, he heard her struggling. "No, get off of me. Where's Nick?"
Sam knocked on the door and entered the room. "McNally."
She looked up at him. "Sam, where's Nick? Is he okay?"
Sam stepped closer to the bed and touched her hand for a second before pulling away, not knowing how she would react. "Andy, he's fine. He's with Gail right now. You need to calm down and let the doctors check you out to make sure you're okay. You hit your head pretty hard." He turned to go. He knew how it worked. The doctors needed to work without him in the room.
Andy reached out and grabbed his hand before he could leave. "Sam," she whispered.
"I'll be right outside. I just have to go give an update to your friends."
She looked towards the window and saw darkness. "Tell them to go home. It's late."
Sam nodded. "Will do." He smirked at her. "Behave!" He walked out before she could respond.
It was a while before he was allowed back to see her. They moved her to a private room and the doctor caught him before he entered the room.
Sam was quick to apologize to the doctor for lying.
The doctor waved away his apology. "You're her emergency contact after her father. We would have called you anyway. The lady in the waiting room explained to my nurse that Ms. McNally was undercover."
Sam nodded. "Nick was her undercover partner. I guess she thought she was still undercover." He ran his hand through his hair. "How is she?"
"Tests came back fine but she has a concussion and I want to keep her for observation for at least 24 hours. She came in two hours ago so we'll be waking her every three hours at hours five, eight, etcetera. She's awake right now but she's fighting sleep."
"Can I see her?"
The doctor nodded and led Sam to Andy's room. He motioned for Sam to enter.
Sam slipped into the room. Andy looked up at him. "Sam..."
"How are you feeling?"
She sighed. "My head hurts and I'm tired."
"I know. The doctor said you could sleep. They'll wake you every three hours. And they have to keep you for at least 24 hours but if you ask me, it'll be longer because the 24 hour mark is in the middle of the night."
She reached for his hand and squeezed it lightly. "I would have come you know," she said softly.
"I know." He didn't know if he fully believed her. After six months, it would be easy to say she would have come, especially after Nick's little hint that she had missed him, but it didn't truly mean that she would have shown up. "I'll be here the entire time so you can stop fighting sleep."
"No," she whispered. "You have to go home to sleep."
Sam sighed. He knew she would insist and she really needed to sleep. "Fine, when your friends come to sit with you I'll go home and get some rest."
"Okay." Her eyes started to close. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you do me one favor? Don't ask me the stupid questions like my name and the date."
Sam chuckled. "Only you McNally, only you." He glanced at her and noticed that she was asleep with her hand still encased within his. He used his foot to pull a chair closer to the bed. Then, before he sat down, he did something that was completely out of character for him before she came into his life. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. "I'm glad you're back and I'm going to fight for us," he said quietly. He settled in the chair with his phone, ready to pass the next three hours.
Hour 5 - Sarah
He was awake when the doctor came in. The doctor looked at him. "Three facts. She might fight you about it."
Sam nodded and then touched Andy's cheek. "McNally? Andy?"
She swatted him. "I'm sleeping."
"I know. I need you to open your eyes for a minute and answer some questions."
"Saaaaaaaaaaaam," she whined.
"I know," he coaxed, "just open your eyes."
Her eyes fluttered and then opened.
"Hey," he said softly. "What's my sister's name?"
"Saaaaaaam," she whined again.
"Humor me McNally, what's my sister's name?"
"Sarah, but I don't know much about her. I mean, I know that she lives in St. Catharines and that she was attacked when she was 13 and you were 9, but I don't know much more than that. I don't know if she's married, I don't know if she has kids, hell, I don't know if you have any other siblings, I don't know if your parents are still alive, I don't know anything." She stopped and swallowed before closing her eyes. "I'm really tired Sam."
"I know," he replied softly. "Sleep."
The doctor started to protest but Sam held up his hand and until he was sure that Andy was asleep. "She gave me more than three facts."
"Really? That was one question."
Sam shrugged. "She's a talker. Lot's of facts - my sister is Sarah, she lives in St. Catharines, she was attacked when she was 13, the list goes on."
The doctor sighed. "Fine. I'll be back in three hours. You should try to sleep." He knew better than to suggest that Sam leave.
Sam drifted off, thinking about all the other one word prompts he could use and what sorts of responses he could get out of her, especially considered he was pretty sure that she wouldn't remember their conversations.
A.N. ummm, yeah, this was supposed to be a one-shot but I'm still working on some of Sam's "prompts" so I decided to post it as a two-shot.
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