Hi again my lovelies!

I've had a really crappy week, and this idea just hasn't left my head, so here it is.

It's kind of dark, but my mind wouldn't let it go.

I might come back and do more to this later, but for now I'm going to mark it complete, but if you enjoyed it, please follow it because there is more to this idea.

She wears a Halo.

She wasn't coming.

He had been waiting for three hours, the door opening and closing behind him, but never to reveal her.

He had asked for one drink so that they could talk, but she wasn't planning on giving it to him.

He really didn't blame her.

The drive out of town made her heart tear up even more than it was, his words channeling themselves from her brain to her heart where they burned.

He had said what she had been waiting to hear, and now she was taking off, slipping under before she had a chance to give him an answer.

Before she had a chance to ask him to wait for her.

She was leaving him hanging.

Nick mirrored her, his mind indecisive to whether or not he was doing the right thing.

The car picked up speed as they took the turnpike that would take them out on to the highway and far away from home.

Before this moment, she would have given anything to escape, but now that it was really here, she was starting to regret it.

All those life changing moments and all those vivid memories sped through her mind until it began giving her chest a physical ache and made her stomach want to revolt its contents.

A million and one memories surged through her mind in a matter of seconds, her heart rate picking up until it felt like it was ready to implode or explode, whichever came first.

Nick sensed her distress and turned to face her, his hand taking hold of one of hers.

"Just breath". He whispered trying to calm her.

"This is wrong". She whimpered out as the floodgates opened and the first tear rolled its way free of her eye.

"We're being stupid". Nick mumbled, to which Andy let out another whimper before it grew into a sob.

"Stop the car". She managed to sound out forcefully.

The driver looked at Nick in the rear view mirror to see him nod, so he tapped the breaks and put on his indicator, signaling that he wanted to change lanes.

He eventually made it over to the shoulder of the road where he pulled over, Andy jumping out the car the second the wheels stopped their forwards motion.

She was pacing alongside the car, her breaths coming out in ragged grasps until she bent over and put her hands on her knees, inhaling long, wistful breaths as she tried to calm herself.

Nick was behind her, his hand rubbing up and down her back to sooth her, he could relate, he knew how this was killing her.

"I can't do this". She stammered as she stood up and spun around to face him, her cheeks marred with tears that were still falling.

"I have to go home, I'm sorry". Her words caused Nick to smile, his face lighting up at the prospect of the word home, and the possibilities that were silently embedded in the word.

"Let's go home". He said, her body moving to get back in the car. She slid back onto the back seat, scooting over so she was behind the driver this time, Nick behind the empty passenger seat.

He gave up hope of waiting, knowing that his attempt had failed, so he abandoned the only drink he had ordered and left the Penny, the door swinging closed heavily behind him.

Just as he started his trucks engine, the loud roar of it springing to life filled his ears, the soft sound of his phone jolted his thoughts away from the object of his desire.

Lifting his phone out the console where he tossed it when he climbed in, he saw Nash's name flash across the screen.

If it had been anyone else right now, he would have ignored it, but it wasn't anyone else. It was someone he made a promise to look out for, so he answered her call, his gut telling him that he would regret it.

Her screams filled his ear, tears making her words incoherent as she sobbed through the phone.

He tried to calm her down, but her breaths were labored and words slurred, she wasn't making any sense.

Something was seriously wrong.

The strong woman he watched love one of his two best friends, the woman he watched bury that same best friend, was broken on the other end of the line.

He kept her on the phone and slammed his truck into drive before pulling out the Penny's parking lot towards her house.

He had seen her at the Penny earlier, looking at her watch and on the phone. His silent question of where Andy was merely got a shrug from her, she didn't know.

Arriving at her house, he found Noelle's car parked in the driveway, Oliver's standing outside parked next to the curb. He cut the engine, his eyes finding them standing in her doorway, their eyes finding him as his hand found the door handle.

The second he was close to them, he could hear Nash's sobs, Noelle trying to console her with the baby on her hip, Oliver standing slightly behind Nash like he was expecting to there to catch her if her knees gave way.

When she looked up, she met Sam's face with the most devastation on hers that he had ever seen, his feet failing to move anymore, so the just stopped.

When she looked up and met his eyes, her knees gave way, Oliver stepping up just in time to catch her and help her sit down, his hand pushing her head forwards as he whispered words in her ear.

He knew.

Without hearing the words, he knew.

His feet finally resumed their stride, his heart hammering so loudly in his ears that even though Noelle was talking to him he couldn't hear her.

Sam moved over to Nash and knelt down in front of her, her arms immediately reaching out to wrap around his neck as she leaned forwards to cry her tears into his shirt.

"I can't loose her too". Her broken voice sounded into his chest, a sigh of relief sweeping from him in reply.

There was still the chance that she was alive, if Nash said that, so for now that was all he had to cling to.

A flicker of blue and red lights caught their attention, two squad cars pulling up behind Sam's truck.

Within seconds Frank had crossed the grass and was standing facing Sam, his face battling to hold it together.

"The halo is about to land, we need to go". Frank finally said, causing the silence that engulfed them to waver.

Sam's mind was reeling, if they had to fly her in to the hospital in the medivac helicopter, then it was really bad.

Sam turned back to Nash, her face still smeared with tears.

"We need to go, okay?". She nodded and tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. Her whole body was riddled with tremors.

So Sam stood up, handed his keys to Oliver and scooped Nash up.

Oliver handed Noelle the keys, Noelle handed Oliver the baby, his words of "She needs you" not missed by Sam as he walked away.

Leo was obviously home alone with Nash, her mom was absent, so someone needed to stay with him.

Noelle raced around Sam and opened the back seat door, when he reached the truck he set her down on the seat, Noelle already starting the engine. She obviously didn't think he should be driving.

Frank pulled in front of them, lights on, Noelle hit the hazard lights and pulled out into the street, the second squad car pulling in behind her as they made their way towards where they needed to be.

By the time they reached the hospital, Nash had a small amount of her self composure back, although Sam could still feel her hand shake in his.

Noelle pulled up right outside the ER door, and dropped them off, the sound of rotor blades ripping through the air as they stepped out the truck.

The sound caused an anguished cry to come from Nash just as she looked up in time to see the taillight of the helicopter before it disappeared behind the roof of the building.

They were landing.

Sam held on to Nash as they stepped through the doorway, the ER a buzz of frantic activity as people scurried all over the show readying themselves for the arrival of their new patient.

They were pointed to a waiting room and told it would be a while before they received news of the patients, Sam's voice immediately finding itself as he asked who the other was.

"Another passenger, Officer Collins". The nurse said before leaving the room.

Sam sat down in a cold plastic chair, his body giving in to the numbness his heart felt.

Within minutes Frank arrived, the uni accompanying him standing outside the door waiting for a sea of blue to follow.

Frank had obviously still been at work when the call came in.

Noelle arrived, soon Callaghan was there. Dov arrived, Gail right behind him as pale as a ghost.

Within half an hour the room was full, Frank asking some of the occupants to wait outside to give those that needed it, a little space.

A sudden thought sprang into Sam's mind as he stood up and mumbled a weak "Tommy" to Frank, who put a hand on his shoulder and told him a unit had been sent over to his house to bring him in, but he was out, so they were waiting.

As time passed, the numbness remained intact, Sam's heart stopping, followed by his lungs then just everything else.

Except his thoughts.

They ran over happy moments, memories of her, her smile, her laugh.

It was like he was watching her life flash before his eyes.

Tommy arrived a broken man, he couldn't even walk unaided.

He sat opposite Sam, his face buried in his hands.

It was hours before they received word from the doctor.

He came in looking grim, Frank asking everyone except those closest to Nick and Andy to leave the room.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but it doesn't look good. Officer McNally received severe injuries, a crushed femur, a punctured and collapsed lung. There are signs of severe head trauma, swelling and bleeding on the brain. She has broken ribs, and her heart received quite a blow, it too has swelling. Officer Collins, is in better shape. He has a fractured collar bone, and a few broken ribs. Officer McNally's injuries are life threatening at the moment and she has just come out of surgery to remove the ribs from her lung and repair it. Unfortunately we are not able to attempt any other repairs at the moment, because she flatlined on the table. She is currently on life support to aid her breathing, because at the moment she can't breath on her own. Is there an Officer Swarek here?". The doctor eyed the room, Sam's face paling telling him that he was the Officer he was looking for.

"Officer Collins is asking for you".

Sam's mind wasn't processing what the doctor was saying.

A word here and there filtered through to him, the rest of it just didn't do anything.

"Can we see her?". Tommy McNally asked finding his feet.

"I'll send a nurse down to get you soon, she is currently in recovery, but she will be moved to her room soon. I'm sorry it's only immediate family".

The doctor left the room, Sam following on auto pilot.

They stopped outside a room with it's door closed, the doctor patting Sam on the shoulder before leaving him alone outside the door.

Sam hesitantly opened the door, Collins eyes focusing on him the minute the door opened.

Nick's face showed signs of severe pain, as well as a few track marks from tears he had shed through the trauma.

"How is she?". Collins spoke first, his voice holding raw fear as he asked the question.

"Not good. What happened Nick?".

"She couldn't do it, she couldn't leave you. We pulled over and she said she wanted to come back. So we came back. We took the turnpike and went back on the highway, when there were just high rising lights in front of us. A semi blew a tire, and crossed lanes into our side, the driver swerved out, but it was too late. The semi hit their side and we spun and rolled. When we...when we stopped it hit us again. She just wanted to come home". Nick's voice broke off as he rammed his head back into the pillow, his eyes jamming closed.

He watched Andy scream in fear, the glass shattering as her arm came up to protect her face. He held her hand while she cried in pain when they stopped. He heard her tell him to give Sam a message if she didn't make it, and he held her hand until it went limp.

He heard the sirens approach, before the hands were pulling her hand from his, his voice screaming at them to help her and leave him alone until she was okay.

He heard them radio for a helicopter to land on the tarmac of the highway while another voice called out that they were loosing her.

They were in the air before he saw her again.

"She um... She asked me to tell you she loves you".

Sam pinched his eyes closed, the final piece of his heart ceasing to exist as he heard those words.

She thought she was going to die.

"I'm sorry...". Nick's voice just could utter anymore, so he stopped. The room falling into deafening silence until he found his voice long enough to say one word.

"Gail?". Sam nodded, a sad smile tugging at his lips. They really had it bad for each other, they were a lot like him and Andy, they just needed to get there.

"I'll get her". Sam said leaving the room.

He found Peck outside the waiting room, her face no where near the strong one she always wore.

When she saw him, her lips pursed into a tight line before she whispered the most heartfelt words he had ever heard her say. "I'm so sorry Sam".

Sam didn't respond, he looked down instead. His lips finding his own words. "He's asking for you. Third floor, three-fifteen".

Sam found Tommy gone, he knew he was with Andy. His whole being wishing that it was him in her room.

As Sam slumped down into a chair in the far corner, Frank sat beside him, his hand squeezing Sam's shoulder.

"Tommy asked for you to go up when you came back". Frank's words made Sam's head snap up, his biggest fear subsiding.

His biggest fear right now; was that he wouldn't get the chance to say goodbye.

Frank gave him her room number and a second later Sam was gone.

The nurse told Tommy that Sam was waiting outside, so Tommy stepped out so that Sam could go in.

They exchanged looks, Sam showing his gratefulness that Tommy had extended this to him.

He tried to mentally prepare himself for what he would see, but it was no use. When his eyes fell on her, he gasped in a sharp breath, his world coming to a complete stop in that instant.

Her face was swollen, marked with blue welts and tiny red scratches. Her left leg was up in a cast, held in traction and she had a ventilator breathing for her. She had wires and tubes running like a spiders web from her body to the machines. There was an IV that ran blood into her, another with an antibiotic, a third that was probably saline.

A pipe ran from her mouth, his eyes watching as it pumped air into her lungs, keeping her alive.

Her hair fanned out over the blue sheet she lay on, no pillows under her head as they kept her as flat as possible.

The rich brown was in dark contrast to the pale blue, a striking combination.

Her heartbeat was there, sounding through the room, filling his ears. It was the only sign that there was any life left in her.

Sam stepped closer, instinctively reaching out for her hand.

"I'm so sorry". Came out his mouth, whispered into her hair as he leaned down and brushed a kiss over her temple.

"You were coming home, and Nick told me what you said...I love you too Andy. Always have, always will". He added, his lips caressing her forehead.

He thought he heard the heart monitor beeped a little faster, as though she had heard him, but knew it was only wishful thinking.

"I know I screwed up, and that this wouldn't have happened if I had tried harder, but I don't want you to go, not yet". He listened carefully to the heart monitor, but this time there was no change, its beep keeping rhythm.

"Everyone is here, but they can't come in, and I know that you know what they want to say, so you keep fighting, you keep getting better. I can't loose you". This time, there was a change in the heartbeat on the screen, a slight fluctuation.

"I'll be back I swear, as long as you hold on, I'll be here waiting". Sam said, before giving her forehead a soft peck and leaving knowing that Tommy probably wanted back in.

He found Traci outside the door waiting, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm her sister". She smiled boldly. Tommy had found a way to get her in too, probably explaining the ethnic difference by using adoption.

She slipped into the room, a smile tugging at Sam's lips.

No matter what happened after this minute, no matter what the outcome of this was, Andy was coming back. She loved him.

No matter what happened when sunrise came, he had his Andy, and she would forever have him.

So let me know- Carry On? Don't forget to follow & leave an awesome review!

JBJ.