Disclaimer: I don't own any thing from the show, all I own is Kate. Also, anything in italics is a flashback. Thanks!!

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"So, I was thinking…."

"You were, huh? That's never a good sign." Det. Don Flack laughed as his girlfriend of over a year playfully pushed him as they walked down the busy New York street. "Hey, I'm holding coffee here! What's wrong with you?" he asked, with a smile on his face.

"I'm being serious, Don. I was thinking about Christmas, and, I know what I want."

"My wallet is hurting already," Flack joked, knowing about his girlfriend's expensive taste. The joke earned him another push. "Would you stop pushin' me?" His girlfriend just smiled. "All right, all right, I'll bite. What do you want for Christmas?"

"A puppy."

"A puppy? Like a dog? No way. Nuh uh," Flack responded, shaking his head.

"Why the hell not?" she asked, stopping in her tracks, which happened to be in the middle of a crosswalk.

"Will you keep walking? You're gonna get hit by a car!" Flack yelled, and took her hand to walk her across the street.

"I was fine! Let go of me, and tell me why you won't get me a dog!" she yelled back at him. Flack sighed, and ran a hand over his face, stopping and pulling her aside as to not get run over by people walking down the streets.

"Look, you're apartment is small enough as it is, all right? You don't have enough room. Then you got that crazy schedule, there. You leave early in the mornings to go down to the jewelry store, then you hang around with your sister and grab lunch and shop or whatever it is you do, then you spend your nights with me. A dog needs attention, and when you gonna find time in your busy schedule to give him that? Huh?"

"Well I can stop seeing you so much for one," she responded and he sighed, getting frustrated with this conversation already. "And you know that I only go to the jewelry store when I have to help them out, I don't actually have to go. That's what's so great about owning your own store. You can do what you want. Not that you would know anything about it, Detective."

"Look, if this is gonna become a whole thing, can it wait until tonight? It's cold out here and I gotta get back to work. You know what work is? It's what people who didn't use to be jewel thieves have to do," Flack responded, knowing he was getting under her skin.

"Don't start this crap with me, Donnie. You know I wasn't a jewel thief. I just have a very expansive knowledge of diamonds," she responded, visibly trying to shake off his comment.

"Yeah, which helped a guy steal diamonds, and be able to leave you a fortune. I know your story just as well as you do."

"All right, how did this conversation go from me getting a dog to me being a criminal? Huh? I was just telling you what I wanted for Christmas, and it doesn't seem totally unreasonable! I just want a puppy, not a palace or something," she said, and started to walk away from Flack.

"What, like your old boyfriend coulda got you? Is that it?" That stopped her in her tracks. She turned around to face him again.

"How many times do we have to have this conversation, Don? Yes, Jack gave me a lot of things, including enough money so I'd never have to work again. Is that what you want to hear? But it's over! He's dead, and I wanna be with you. Why do I have to keep defending myself?"

Don was about to answer when the couple heard a gunshot and screams. Don pulled his gun out of its holder and yelled at his girlfriend to stay where she was while he checked out what had happened. He ran down the street where he saw people running and screaming. A corner store had been shot up, and a few people were on the ground after apparently taking cover, but no one seemed to be hurt. Flack was looking around, and noticed a car peeling away. He heard shouts of, "The car! Someone in the car was shooting!" and Flack started shooting at the car, hoping to catch a tire. The car rushed off though, but not before Flack heard more gunshots from it.

All of a sudden he heard more people screaming, and turned around to see someone laying on the ground, apparently bleeding. He rushed over to see who it was and what happened, and his heart sunk as he saw his girlfriend there, lying in a pool of her own blood. He ran over to her, and found that she was shot in the abdomen. He pulled off his jacket and held it to the wound, while also cradling her in his arms, and calling in for a bus.

After getting confirmation that an ambulance was on its way, he focused on comforting his girlfriend. "Hey, its all right, OK? You're gonna be fine, baby. I promise. And I'll get you that dog, whatever you want, huh? Just keep your eyes open. Please, babe, please. It's OK. It's OK."

People stood in shock and stared at the NYPD detective cradling his shot girlfriend, and they were moved away from the scene when the ambulance and more cop cars showed up. The paramedics attended to Flack's girlfriend, and the cops attempted to interview witnesses and get Flack away from the scene so that his girlfriend could get medical attention.

"I'm coming with you," Flack said.

"No offense, Detective, but your girlfriend will get easier attention if we take her alone. You can follow us there," a paramedic named Steve answered.

Flack sighed, realizing he was probably right. "OK, fine," Don said, and went to go make some more calls and go to the hospital.

"Wait, Detective!" Steve called out. When Flack turned around, he asked, "What's her name?"

"Kate Monroe."

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Flack shuddered as he thought of what had happened just hours before. He couldn't help but feel as if it was all his fault. Kate was the only casualty in this shoot up. If he hadn't argued with her, if he hadn't stopped to argue with her, he could've gotten her home, or in a cab, or back to the lab, or something so that she wasn't in this situation. He should've just let it go. Just bought her a freaking dog and she would've been fine. It was close to six p.m. He and Kate should be having dinner right now, but they're not. Instead, he's sitting in this waiting room with her blood on his clothes, and her sister pacing up and down the hall.

"Why won't they tell us anything?" Lindsay Monroe asked.

"They will when they know something, Montana," Danny Messer, Lindsay's boyfriend and work partner, answered. "Come on and sit down."

"I can't sit, Danny. My baby sister is in there and no one will tell me what's wrong!" she cried. He just got up and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her gently to a chair.

Don just sat in shock. He didn't respond to Lindsay's cries, or the mention of his own name. Mac Taylor had been calling Don's name for some time, but Don didn't hear it. He was too wrapped in his own guilt.

Stella Bonasera sat next to him, touching his arm, and handing him a cup of coffee. "Hey Don, you OK?" she asked softly.

He just shook his head, and didn't take the cup. "It's my fault," he said. It was so quiet Stella almost didn't hear him.

"No its not," she whispered back. "It's not, Don."

"Yes it is, Stella!" he yelled, getting the attention of all who were there. Mac Taylor, Danny, Lindsay, Sheldon Hawkes, even Adam Ross all glanced up at Flack, who was now standing in the middle of the waiting room. "If I hadn't taken time to argue with her, she'd still be alive! It's all my fault." Everyone stayed quiet, and Stella just guided him back to a chair. Flack was close to tears, it was obvious, but being the man he was, everyone knew he wouldn't let them fall. "The last time I talked to her, it was arguing, and I brought up her dead boyfriend and said he was better than me." Stella just stayed quiet, letting him say whatever he needed to.

Mac came over and sat on the other side of Don. Danny was still comforting Lindsay the best way he could, and Hawkes was sitting with Adam. "Don, listen to me," Mac said, "It's not your fault. There was no way you could've known about the drive by. Everyone knows you wouldn't willingly put Kate in any sort of danger. It wasn't your fault. We all know how you feel about her, ok?"

Don just sat there listening to Mac. After he was done, Don just shook his head slightly. "No, its not OK. It should've been me. She shouldn't have been anywhere near this," Flack said. Mac and Stella looked at each other, knowing there was probably no way to get the guilt off Don.

"Det. Flack?" a doctor came out, asking.

Flack stood up. "Yes, that's me." Lindsay and the rest came walking up to where the doctor was. "How's my sister?" Lindsay asked.

"She's lucky the bullet didn't hit a major artery. However, there was still some internal bleeding. She's in ICU at the moment, and I'm afraid to say she's showing all the signs of slipping into a coma. If or when she does, it's near impossible to tell how long. Could be a few hours, could be a few months. We'll have to wait and see. I'm sorry I couldn't bring better news," the doctor said, and left the group in the room.

Lindsay and Don stood there shocked. Danny hugged Lindsay, and Stella held Don's arm. Both Lindsay and Don heard the same thing from their friends.

"She's gonna be fine."

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A/N: If you've read any of my other stories, you know I have a thing for placing people under medical stress. It just makes the romance part even better. Coming up, more flashbacks that show Don and Kate's relationship, Kate and Lindsay's parents show up, and maybe some more surprises, depending on how I feel. Ha ha. Review please and tell me if I should continue!! Thanks!