"I should've gone with him." Those were the first words Joe Fontana had spoken to Lieutenant Van Buren since they had arrived at the hospital.
Anita's eyes snapped to the detective, breaking her silent vigil. "What?"
"I should've been there with him." Joe's voice was tinged with sadness and guilt.
"Joe," she rarely ever used his first name, "there's no way you could've known this was gonna go down.
"I was supposed to be there. Borgia requested both of us. I had to be in court to testify; Ed said he'd go alone." Fontana's eyes stayed fixed on the tiles of the floor, his hands folded in his lap.
The lieutenant turned in her seat, gently laying her had on his shoulder. "You have absolutely no reason to feel guilty about this. You couldn't have known."
Joe's head nodded toward the glass doors, behind which lay Ed, battling for his life. "It should be me in there."
Anita's sympathy momentarily replaced by frustration, she chastised him, "Why? Because you're the senior partner? Because you're older?"
"Yes," was his simple reply.
"And he'd be out here, worried to death about you. Neither is a situation I wanna be part of. Unfortunately…" She trailed off, shaking her head and sighing. "He's gonna be just fine, Joe."
"I hope you're right, Anita."
Van Buren watched as Joe Fontana, a man usually in complete control over his emotions and now without defense to them, silently cried for his partner and friend.