ALTERNATIVE ENDING TO HOOKER EPISODE 'THE DECOY'
The old armory tunnels were vast and filled with more shadows than light. The entire structure was built with concrete. Hooker and Romano had quickly split up to cover more ground. The suspect was familiar with the maze like surroundings so they were at a disadvantage.
As they tried to communicate with each other their voices were muffled by the thickness of the interior walls. It was frustrating to say the least. Hooker was not keen on the idea of splitting up with his partner. However it was the only plan that made any sense. There was no telling how long Stacey would be alive if they couldn't locate her fast.
"Stacey? Stacey can you hear me?" He yelled out. He knew this could also alert the man they were pursuing but it couldn't be avoided.
"Hooker? I'm here!" She shouted back.
She was trying very hard to think of what to do next. When she got caught in the equipment shack she knew she was in over her head. From the start she was nervous to accept the assignment but there was no way she was going to let anyone talk her out of it. Ann was her friend and a fellow cop. If she could do anything to catch the bastard and make sure he didn't get a chance to hurt another woman she was going to do it.
Now she was trapped in what equated to a prison cell. Her hands were bound and she was scanning the room to see if there was anything rough or sharp enough to cut through her bindings. Then she spotted with looked like a rough patch on the far wall.
She moved up to it and felt the surface, then backed into and started furiously rubbing the tape across praying she could free herself. At least then if he came back she would have a fighting chance to save herself.
She was smart enough to know that the fear she felt had nothing to be with her gender or being a rookie cop. Anyone who wasn't insane would be right now. There was the very real possibility that she was going to die in this room.
The emotion that engaged her mind more than that was humiliation She was always harder on herself than anyone else. Perfection was something she strove for even though it could never be obtained. It was probably her biggest character flaw.
She grimaced as the burs in the wall cut into her flesh. The adrenaline coursing through her veins blocked most of the pain. It was worth it when the tape began to loosen slightly.
Romano was straining his ears attempting to hear both the voices of his friends or any movement of the killer. The last he needed was to be ambushed. He wasn't going to do either of his friends any good if he ended up in need of help himself.
Stacey was a good friend and was already growing into a good cop. She had a good head on her shoulders and if she found an opportunity to turn the situation around she would.
He was rounding the corner with his gun in his hand. His training in both the army and the police academy taught him how to kept his mind calm and clear. If he saw someone coming towards him it he would have a split second to determine whether it was his partner or the man they were hunting.
The darkness was making it difficult to maneuver around. Hooker was controlling his breathing in an effort to take in his surroundings and be on alert for any danger.
His senses remained honed but his mind was also thinking of Stacey. He was her godfather first and her superior officer second. That fact had angered her when he told her he wasn't going to allow her to take the assignment.
She had every right to feel that way and deep down he knew that. Her father had been right when he refused to step in. If she didn't go undercover it would be someone else's daughter in danger. He had to come to terms with the fact that she was no longer a little girl but a grown woman who had graduated the academy with honors.
He moved cautiously into the archway in front of him. It was then that he saw her face through iron bars. He wanted to rush directly to her but his training said otherwise. It could easily be a set up.
"Can you see him?" He asked of her after their eyes met.
"No but I have a limited field of vision." She was now more terrified of something happening to him then anything else.
His weapon was steadied in his hands as he took a step forward. He saw movement in his peripheral vision. When he saw something metalic he dodged to the left behind a column as shots were fired. As he spun around to fire back the figure turned and disappeared into another hallway leading away from the cell.
"Are you alright?" He reached in and touched her shoulder.
"Yes, look there's no way to get me out of here without a key. Go get the son of a bitch." She smiled as she took his hand.
He returned the smile and winked at her, before he could verbally respond he heard a loud bang. An iron gate in front of him started sliding shut. He dashed around it and the others as they also began closing.
"Hooker, be careful!" She shouted as Hooker barely managed to make it past the last door.
Romano stopped in his tracks. In the distance he could hear a loud commotion and muffled voices. It didn't sound like gunshots, although he wasn't certain what they would sound like in this structure and underground.
He continued to move forward testing every door along the way to see if it was accessible. It reminded him of being in a Halloween spook house back in Philly. Only then the 'monsters' were trying to scare him not kill him.
As he came to yet another hallway he first glanced quickly to see if it was clear. He was a few steps into the room when out of the shadows emerged a figure. He quickly realized that it wasn't his partner and aimed his gun.
Almost simultaneously they opened fire. Vince backed into the hallway while continuing to return fire. As he spun himself around the corner of the archway and felt a sharp pain radiate across his shoulder and chest. He remained focused enough to hear footsteps retreating away from him.
"Romano...you alright?" Hooker's voice rang out over the radio.
T.J. waited anxiously for a few seconds to hear a respond from his friend. He had heard the gun shots clearly so he knew he couldn't be too far away.
"I'm OK, Hooker..." Romano replied into the hand held radio.
He was far from OK but Stacey needed Hooker more than he did right now. He got to his feet and steadied himself on the wall. When he regained his balance he headed in the direction that the shooter had fled.
She felt so helpless. Her friends were in grave danger and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. All she could was stand there and wait.
Suddenly the iron gates began to open one by one and the man who was responsible for all of this came barreling towards her his gun leveled in her direction.
"HOOKER!" She screamed as she dove into the temporary shelter of the corner of her cell.
T.J. heard her screams in tandem with the sounds of gunfire. He sprinted now knowing the quickest path to get there. He prayed that he would reach her in time.
Romano heard them too and the echo was so loud that it was leading him to his friends. At the moment he terror for his friends was outweighing the pain and loss of blood. He had also been paying attention as he wandered through this maze. He was certain he remembered a tunnel that connected that area.
Hooker burst into the room just a head of the gunman and in his line of fire. He had his gun aimed, willing to die if necessary to protect her. At nearly the same moment a door on the other side of the hallway broke free and Romano fired from the doorway. The suspect when down and Hooker kicked his weapon far enough away that he couldn't reach it.
He put himself in a defensive position to feel for a pulse on the suspect. His eyes were wide open and he could feel no heartbeat. He searched his pockets and found the key, then stood up and released Stacey from her prison.
"It's over..." He reached out and hugged her tightly.
She eagerly returned his embrace and glanced over his shoulder. She watched in horror as Romano staggered backwards into the wall and the slide down it into an awkward heap.
"Vince!"
Hooker released her while turning around. He quickly dashed to his fallen friend. As he knelt beside him he could see the right side of his uniform shirt was darkened and that a small pool of blood was spreading out onto the concrete floor.
"Romano? Can you hear me?" The younger man's only response was a soft moan.
"How is he?" Stacey asked while walking sideways over to them, reassuring herself that the scumbag was dead.
"Get paramedics in here as fast as you can. He's bleeding too badly I don't want to risk carrying him.
"Take this hallway..." T.J. started to tell her.
"No, this way is faster. I memorized the way he brought me in." She stopped for a second and looked down. "Hang on Romano, just hang on."
She sprinted off with a radio and flashlight in hand. "This is Officer Stacey Sheridan. I need paramedics sent to the old armory..."
"Hooker..." Vince whispered. He tried to lift himself up but the pain was excruciating
"Hey, partner...easy...easy. I'm just going to turn you onto your back." He gently supported his head and wrapped his arm around Vince's waist and gingerly moved him into a better position.
He felt the strong arms of his friend cradling him, which was of great comfort. There was never another man in his life that he had felt so close to. He had never known the man that helped create him. Although he didn't think of Hooker like a father, more like a older brother.
He had a tight bond with only one other person before in Vietnam but that was different and so short lived. He had relied on him for survival in an almost impossible situation. He was the first person he had truly trusted. He had grown up in the foster care system and hadn't had a lot of reason to trust people.
T.J. picked up the sweatshirt that Stacey had left behind and laid it over the wound and pressed down as hard as he could in an effort to staunch the bleeding.
"Oh God...it hurts!" He gritted his teeth trying very hard not to scream, as in body arched in response to the intensifying agony.
"I know partner...I know" He grabbed Vince's hand with his free one and held onto it.
"You squeeze as hard as you can. I've got you. Do you understand? I'm gonna get you through this."
Romano closed his eyes for a few seconds while continuing to grip onto Hooker's hand. He knew he had to try and stay conscious but giving in would mean reprieve from the intolerable pain. He felt like there was a thick fog settling in his mind. That's when it occurred to him.
"Stacey...leave me and help Stacey!" He exclaimed as his eyes flew open.
"Romano..."
"I'm not important! You have to help her!" He repeated his request with pleading eyes. When it didn't appear that Hooker had understood him he tried to sit up to make him listen.
"Romano, easy...take it easy. Stacey is Ok. You saved us both, remember?" Hooker was more than alarmed at his sudden confusion.
"Stacey safe? We got him?"
"Yes, just lie still..."
All of a sudden Vince's hand went lax in Hooker's and his eyes closed. T.J. laid it gently by his side and immediately checked his carotid pulse. It was rapid and weak, his breathing was shallow and fast.
"Hold on partner...please hold on..."
Stacey could literally see the light at the end of the tunnel as she approached the main entrance. She had said a prayer of thanks that the radio signal had been strong enough to pick up her initial message requesting EMS.
"Dad!" Normally she always referred to him as Captain while on the job but right now she really didn't give a damn.
Stacey, are you alright?" He had heard the call for help but was uncertain who needed it.
"I'm fine. It's Romano, he's been shot. It looks bad. What's the ETA on the paramedics?" She gave her responses in rapid succession.
"What about the suspect?" Sheridan asked of her.
"Romano shot him before he could shoot Hooker...or me. He's dead."
"I found an old can of spray paint and used it to mark a clear route." She was proud of herself for having the presence of mind to do that.
"Ok, Foster when the medics get here you bring them in, follow Officer Sheridan's markings."
"Yes Captain." The young officer replied.
"We''ll head back in. I've got a couple of thermal blankets, at least we can try and keep him warm." Sheridan knew that shock had to have set in, keeping his body temperature up was crucial.
Hooker busied himself with finding enough debris in the room to raise Romano's legs up off the floor. The bleeding seemed to be under control, at least temporarily but he had lost a lot of blood. Raising his legs above his heart would concentrate more blood to his vital systems.
Romano mumbled something barely above a whisper. Hooker looked over at him and noticed the younger man shivering uncontrollably.
"Damn!" He said out loud. There was absolutely nothing anywhere in sight for him to try use as a blanket.
He walked back to him and placed the gathered items into a pile and gently raised his legs onto it. Not knowing what else to do he took off his duty belt and laid down along side his friend and wrapped his himself around him as best he could without causing him more pain.
"Cold..." He heard him mutter softly.
"I know...I'm sorry. We're gonna get you warmed up soon, I promise. Just lie still and stay with me, Ok? Just stay with me."
"Hooker? Can you hear me?" The voice of Captain Sheridan rang out in the distance.
"Yes, are the paramedics with you?"
Sheridan answered him as he came into the room. "No, they'll be here a few minutes"
"I don't know if he's got a few minutes!" He snapped back.
He turned and looked at his friend regretting his tone. "I'm sorry I..."
"Forget about it, I understand." Dennis gave him a reassuring smile.
T.J got up as the blankets were being laid on top of Romano. He helped tuck them around him as much as possible.
Stacey sat down at Vince's head and gently stroked his cheek. "Come on Vince. Don't you give up, you understand? I just know when you wake up the first thing you're going to tell me is that I owe you."
She tried to keep her voice lighthearted because she was confident that he could hear them. She felt the tears well up but she refused to let them fall. The guilt that she felt was overwhelming. It was her mistakes that put them all in this situation. Vince had literally taken a bullet to save her. The killer had not returned fire when Romano busted into the room, which meant he ran from the other side of the complex to get to her after he was hit.
Hooker once again picked up his partner's hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm still here, Vince. I'm not going anywhere."
"HOOKER! Call out!"
Relief flooded T.J.'s entire body as he recognized the female voice calling out to him. Not only were the paramedics here but the ones responding were two of the best in the business.
"A.J., we're in here!" Hooker bellowed as loud as he could.
"Can you still see the arrows?" Sheridan yelled out.
Several seconds went by before sounds of movement were heard and Foster and two of LA County Fire Department's finest appeared. Larson City of course had it's own fire department but it's paramedic program was relatively new and at times there weren't near enough of them to go around. So the city had contracted with the County to use their services when necessary.
"What have we got Hooker?" A.J. White Wolf asked of him as she approached with her partner.
"Gunshot wound no exit, his upper right chest. I applied pressure and the bleeding seems to be under control. He lost consciousness a few minutes ago."
When she got closer she saw what she had already feared, it was Romano. This wasn't the first time a close friend was a patient and being in their lines of work she knew it wouldn't be the last.
"I'll contact Rampart." Her partner Craig Brice informed her.
In seconds she was laying out the items she would need to assess his vitals and begin the treatment she knew would be requested of her. She had long before joining the fire department become more than efficient at triaging a patient and initiating treatment.
One of the things she had in common with Romano and Hooker was her service in Vietnam. She had served two tours as a RN at an EVAC hospital.
"Pulse 130, respiration 40 and BP 80/50"
After she gave Brice his vitals she began prepping him for an IV as well as checking the wound itself. Vince groaned and his body twitched as she cut away his uniform shirt and placed a 4x4 gauze pad on his chest and began to secure it with tape.
"I'm sorry, Kiddo. I know that hurts." She spoke to him in a soft tone. It was a nickname she often teased him with. They had served around the same time but she was in her early twenties. He was only sixteen when he first arrived in country.
Brice spoke up, "Lactated Ringers wide open and then reassess vitals." He handed her the IV solution as he finished his explanation.
She expertly inserted the needle into his vein and used tubing to hook the IV solution onto it. It was actually a good sign that he flinched as it went into the back of his wrist, that meant he had a good pain response.
Hooker watched her work on his friend somewhat in awe. They had been friends for many years and he had been on scenes where she responded to. However before today he had never actually sat and watched her up close. She movements were precise yet graceful.
One of the reasons he was so relieved when he had heard her voice wasn't just because of the skills she possessed but the experience behind them. She had been a paramedic for few years now but it was years prior that impressed him the most.
They had severed in different years but he had had a chance to witness first hand what combat nurses were capable of. They did above and beyond what most anyone would believe a nurse's duties to be. At the EVAC hospital they were many times forced to go beyond their scope of practice, including amputations and other surgical procedures on their own without a surgeon present.
They would also routinely hop into one the Heuys for medical evacuations from the field if there were no corpman or medic available, sometimes having no choice but to act as gunner as well. He meant no offense to her partner or any of the other paramedics It was just that she had a level of skill and experience that a soley civillian paramedic would never have.
"Ok, I'm going to need you guys to help us get him on a back board and onto the liter." She glanced at the others as she asked for their help.
They complied and after he was on the liter A.J. began to check his vitals again while Brice packaged him. When she finished she picked up the Biophone and updated Early. She already knew what he was going to say.
"Craig, we need to start a second line. We need to get his volume up before we move him anywhere."
She managed to keep the tone of her voice professsional.
While the paramedics concentrated on their patient Hooker placed his hand on his friend's arm being mindfull of the IV in his wrist.
"I'm still here, partner. You just keep fighting." He leaned in close to make certain that he heard him.
"OK, let's get moving." A.J. ordered. She had just rechecked his vitals. The second line at least temporarily was doing it's job.
Sheridan took the upper right position of the liter across from Hooker. They moved as rapidly as possible to get it to through the narrow corridors. This was one of the times that he dreaded not just as a cop by as a commanding officer. These officers were his responsibilty, more than that they were part of his family.
Stacey watched her mentor as he continiously glanced down at Romano. She couldn't shake her guilt as to what happened. She just didn't know how she was going to live with herself if he didn't make it. Or how Hooker could ever forgive her.
The group helped guide the liter back out through the maze and into the sunlight. Vince was't conscious yet but his grunts of displeasure were getting more persistant, which was a good sign.
Thankfully they ambulance was there and waiting to transport them.
As the EMT's loaded him into their vehicle A.J. turned and spoke. "You wanna ride along, Hooker?"
He nodded and climbed in the back and sat on the side bench and out of the way. His back slumped against the wall of the emergency vehice. Exhaustion both physical and emotional was beginning to hit him.
"I'll take the squad in." Brice stated as he briefly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
She climbed in and Craig closed the doors and then smacked them hard telling the driver he could take off. As she sat on the opposite side of Hooker and once again took his vitals. They were slightly better than the last time, not good but better.
She reached across and grabbed T.J.'s hand. When he looked up she smiled at him. "It's looking good so far. His readings are actually a little better, as well as it's going to get outside of the hospital."
There was a louder groan and Romano's eyes fluttered open.
"Hey, there you are." She tenderly touched his cheek with the back of her hand.
"It's alright now. You're in an ambulance and we'll be at Rampart before you know it."
His dark eyes shifted around like he was looking for something.
"Hooker's here right next to you. Can you feel his hand on your arm?"
He nodded slowly as Hooker leaned forward into his field of vision. "I'm right here, Junior. I told you I'm not going anywhere."
"Where's Stacey?" His mind wasn't running at full speed but he seemed to remember being told she wa alright.
"She'll meet us there with the Captain. We're both fine...thanks to you."
"He hurt her?" He was afraid of the answer but had to know.
"Not one scratch, honest. You just take it easy. Everything is alright, I promise." Hooker was happy that his mind seemed to be more focused.
"Romano, did you not understand me the first time?" A.J. leaned in and gave him a stern look.
"Huh?" Vince squinted in confusion.
"When we first met and you flirted with me. I told you I was a happily married woman." Her husband was also a firefighter paramedic, in fact one of the first paramedics in California history. Professionally she had maintained her maidian name, outside of work she used the last name Gage.
Hooker smiled because he knew she was teasing Vince but wasn't sure what she was getting at. His partner's expression told him that he was also clueless.
"Well I assumed that this little stunt was another one of your schemes to meet women." She gave him a big smile.
"And since I'm still the only female paramedic in all of LA County and as far as I know Larson City...it wasn't the best laid plan now was it?" She winked at him.
Vince gave her a big smile for a moment then grimaced as a wave of pain and nausea followed. He reached for Hooker's hand and grasped it hard. His eyes closed, fatigue setting in again.
"Gonna die?" He whispered without reopening his eyes.
Hooker's heart sank, he hesitated not knowing how to reassure him without sounding phoney. He knew the true Romano not just the personna that he shared with the rest of the world. However Vince knew him just was well so he would know if he was holding anything back.
"Come on now, Kiddo why would you even ask that?" She cradled his face with her tanned slender hands.
"This little thing? She removed one of her hands and hovered it about his chest.
"I have helped save men who were in a lot worse shape than you. That was in sweltering jungle with monsoon rains and oh yeah people trying to kill us."
"You Vincent Romano are not going to be the one to ruin my reputation." She returned her hand to his face and used them to wipe away the tears that started to fall from his eyes.
"Just relax, we're pulling into Rampart now. You have a first class ride from here on out. They're gonna fix you up like new. You'll even have a manly scar to impress the ladies." She told him as she rechecked his vitals for the last time.
The doors flug open and orderlies were there to unload him. She and Hooker followed him all the way to the emergency surgery doors. A.J. filled Brackett in on all the details along the way.
As the doors swung closed they stood there for a moment, alone until the others got there. She was a highly empathic person, she could actually feel Romano's physical agony and also Hooker's emotional angst. She felt her body start to sway as the torrent of emotions and pain began to overwhelm her.
"Hey! Are you alright? Here sit down..." Hooker grabbed her by the arm and led her to one of the waiting area chairs.
"I'm fine...really I am."
"I just need a minute it will pass..." She met the gaze of his hazel eyes.
"This doesn't happen with every trauma patient, does it?" He knew about the abilities she possessed that would never be on her resume.
"No, thankfully. For the most part I have learned to block it out. Nam taught me that in a hurry. It only happens when it's someone I care about." She rubbed her temples, already feeling the tension begin to disipate.
"I'm not helping matters am I?" He stared into her turquoise colored eyes, realizing she was picking up on him too.
"It's Ok, you can't help it." She raised her arm, laid her hand over her eyes and leaned on him dramatizing like a B rated movie actress.
He chuckled at her a little, lifting his spirits if even for a moment. Then the gravity of the situation came crashing down on him again. He lowered his gaze and looked down to his lap. He was fighting for at least facial control of his emotions.
"He's going to be alright, Hooker. You did everything right on scene before we got there."
She wanted to assure him. She knew the bond that partners shared, she had the same connection with hers. It didn't take an empath to know that he felt an irrational guilt about not being able to prevent it.
He looked up at her again wanting to believe that what she said was true but he had seen his share of gunshot wounds. He wanted to have that hope but was afraid to.
"Hey, this is me remember? I have one of those feelings. He's going to be flirting with all the nurses before we know it." She gave him a full broad smile and opened her arms.
"That's only because of you, darling." He hugged her tightly.
"No really, you saved his life. I can never repay you." He didn't know how to put into words exactly what he felt.
"Come on Hooker, I'll get a swelled head. Brackett and his team are the ones that are going to save his life. I just helped get him here. You know that when it comes to you guys...I've always got your six."
"If I know my partner he has already called the station and spoken to our Captain who has told him that we have his permission to respond from the hospital for a while."
"So if you don't mind the company..."
He answered her by grabbing her hand and easing himself back into one the famously uncomfortable metal chairs. Now was maybe the hardest part of all...the waiting.
"You know, this happened in the line of duty..." Romano had on his best smile as he was talking to Ginger one of the nurses on his floor.
"You know Vince they do actually have work to do." Fran Hooker joking chided him as she walked through the door of his room.
"Fran! Hi! I was just telling her what happened..." He blushed just a little as he said it.
He was very fond of Fran. She had from day one been so kind to him. He told Hooker more than once that he should just remarry her and get it over with. He usually spent more than a couple of nights a week in his old house with her. Many times if the kids were having a sleep over he even stayed over night.
Her reason for the divorce was that after he was shot and almost died she couldn't wait by the phone anymore waiting to become a widow. However from everything he saw between them if something happened to him now he didn't think she would be any less devastated.
"How are you feeling, really?" She inquired as she came to his bedside.
"There's a lot of pain. I can manage it. I don't want the pain meds, they make me feel so..." They definitely took away more of the pain but he knew the longer he was on them the greater chance of dependence.
"I understand but there are ones that aren't as potent as morphine. If it gets too bad you tell someone, Ok? There's no reason to be a hero about it. You're already one of those." She cupped the side of his head and stroked his cheek.
"What now your going to flirt with my wife?" Hooker didn't correct himself, not even realizing his grammatical mistake.
Fran face reddened a little but not from anger. There was a big part of her that didn't mind being called his wife and not ex-wife. She was so sure the entire length of the divorce but if she were being honest with herself the reason wasn't so clear anymore.
"How's it going, Junior?"
"Hooker! I'm good, although some real food would be nice." He grumbled.
"I'm so hungry I could actually eat one of those jelly donuts you eat all the time!" He fiend a shiver as he said it.
"Slow down partner. It's only been four days. You just do whatever these people tell you to." Hooker was so grateful to see him sitting up and joking around.
"In fact I will make that an order." Captain Sheridan walked in with Stacey.
"Hi, Captain." Vince gave him a grin.
"How are you doing, Vince?" Stacey asked him with a smile but avoided eye contact.
She had spent the last several days going over everything in detail with the task force and filing all of the appropriate reports. Everyone said she had done good work but she couldn't help but wonder if they really thought that or if the compliment had more to do with who her father was.
"I'm doing great!" He motioned her to come in closer to his bed.
She hesitated for a moment then walked up beside him. The image of him lying on the concrete floor of that bunker bleeding and unconcious still played out in her mind, even now while she looked at him.
"How are you doing?" He took her hand and held it, forcing her to look at him.
"None of this was your fault, you understand that, right?" He continued to look into her eyes.
"I made a lot of mistakes..." She replied quietly.
"Stace, this was your first real assignment. You had zero field experience yet you handled yourself like a pro. Even seasoned cops get caught up in situations they didn't plan on. Nothing you did caused this." He pointed to his chest.
"Romano is right, Stacey. The only one responsible for any of this is lying in the morgue. I was wrongto tell you not to take the assignment. You're a good cop and you're only going to get better with experience." Hooker walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, giving her a light squeeze.
Then he stepped back and looped his hand around Fran's waist. He had been doing some thinking of his own lately. He had dated a few women since the divorce but had yet to find anyone who made him feel so complete or content. He was gathering the courage to sit down and really talk with her about their future. He knew or at least hoped she felt the same way.
"Well, I think this is a good time to give you both the good news." Dennis Sheridan spoke up.
"The department has issued citations for Officers Stacey Sheridan and Vince Romano. Both of you went above and beyond the call to solve this case."
"That goes for me as well. I couldn't be more proud of either of you." The Captain walked to the other side of Romano's bed.
"Vince, I don't know how I can ever repay you or Hooker, not just as your Captain but as a father." He laid his hand on Romano's shoulder.
"If I would have known you had so much company already we would have waited." A.J. peeked her head around the door to the room.
"Hey! No, it's alright, please come in!" Romano waived at her.
As she walked in her husband followed close behind her asking, "How ya doing, Vince?"
"I'm good, Johnny. Just anxious to get out of here."
"Yeah, been there done that!" Everyone including him chuckled.
"Sorry it took so long for us to get here to visit you. We both covered an extra shift and of course they've been been some of the busiest in months." She gave him a big smile.
"That's alright, it's only the last couple of days that I was fit for company."
He stared at her trying to think of what to tell her. He could only remember bits and pieces of what happened after he was shot. He remembered Hooker swearing he wouldn't leave him, which was a promise that he had kept. The first thing he had seen when he had woken up was Hooker by his bedside.
"You know, if you don't close your mouth you're going to catch flies." She giggled as he blushed a little.
"I just...I mean I just wanted to tell you..."
He struggled how to express himself. It was easy for him to be what others thought him to be. He had friends that he loved dearly and knew that the feeling was mutal. However he had a extremely hard time letting others see the parts of him that he felt didn't measure up.
There was only one person that knew all about his past, Hooker. The bond that had quickly formed had allowed him to open up for the first time in his life. He had expected that at least his partner would not believe everything he told him or at worst that it would ruin the friendship that he had grown to rely on. Yet something had made him believe that he could take the chance.
Although there were times that he thought that she could see straight through the facaid. Almost as if any layers hid normally hid under would peel away when she looked at him. He considered her and Johnny friends but didn't know either one of them as well as Hooker did.
He smiled nervously and asked, "Can you come over here?"
A.J. walked over and put her hands on the lower rail on the side of his bed. "What is it, Kiddo?"
He looked up at her and once again felt like she was seeing straight into his soul. Her eyes were so kind and full of life.
"I need to thank you for helping save my life. I would never have made to the hsopital if you hadn't worked your magic." He smiled as he reached for her face. He pulled down far enough to kiss her on the cheek.
As she stood up he blushed a shade redder than the last time and gave Gage a small shrug. "Sorry Johnny..."
"No worries kid. She only digs firefighters...we have better rides."
Everyone in the room burst out into laughter. Stacey could be heard about all the others, the tension of her guilt was finally washing away. It still bothered her and in a small way it always would but in the last few minutes she had allowed her better angels to win the agruement with her lesser demons. She was going to use this to become a better person and a better cop.