This is my take on how season 5 should begin. As a side note, Andy was never involved with Nick. Everything else is the same as the series.

Please review and let me know what you think. I have an idea of where to take this story if I get some interest.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Rookie Blue.

All she wanted was Sam. The one thing she couldn't have. She'd been okay to take the high road and leave Sam alone, since he seemed happy with Marlo. She was not going to do to Marlo what Jo had done to her. She just wasn't that type of person. She knew when she'd lost, and she had definitely lost. Her six months undercover had been the best part of her three years on the job. But, it had caused her to lose the one person who mattered most. Sam. But everything was different now. Sam was lying in a hospital bed with a hole in his abdomen. Marlo was cleaning out her locker at the barn, so she'd heard from Gail. And where did that leave Andy? Keeping a bedside vigil on Sam. She had not left his side since the doctor had allowed her back to see him. He was stable, and resting, but he hadn't woken up. The doctors said he would wake up soon and Andy wanted to be there when he did.

Andy had hours to think about what she was going to say to Sam when he woke up but so far she had nothing. She just couldn't articulate words to express what she felt. This man had her heart, and always would. Ever since her first day on the job, when she'd followed him out the fire escape calling for backup on the radio that she'd forgotten to turn on. Ever since the locker room where he berated her for ruining eight months of his life. Ever since the night of the blackout. Ever since "holy moly". Ever since when he left her standing in the rain. Sure, she had been hurt and upset, but she'd never stopped loving him. And it killed her to see him lying in a hospital bed. This wasn't the Sam she knew. The Sam she knew was tough, and had a strong exterior. That exterior shattered as the bullet pierced his vestless body. Andy had never known Sam to allow himself to be vulnerable, but he put his own life in danger to save Nick. No matter what words ended up coming out, Andy promised herself that she would tell Sam how she felt when he woke up.

As Sam came into consciousness he looked slowly around the room before realizing that he was alone. That is, until he looked down and saw someone holding his hand. Andy was curled up in a chair in the corner of the room with her arm stretched out holding his. Pure happiness flooded Sam when he saw her. He squeezed her hand just enough to stir her from her sleep.

Andy opened her eyes and looked down at her hand. She thought she'd felt Sam squeeze her hand but she couldn't be sure since she was asleep.

"Ahem," Sam coughed and Andy looked directly into his brown eyes. Tears welled in her eyes and she bit back a sob when she realized that he was truly awake.

"Sam." She breathed out the breath that she'd been holding and jumped out of her chair. "Sam," she said again, as if making sure he was really awake.

"Hi," he responded, a bit weak.

Andy jumped into awareness.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling? I'll go get the doctor." She was halfway out the room when Sam stopped her.

"Andy," he choked out. She whipped around.

"Yes?"

"Come here." Andy walked slowly over to the bed and looked down at Sam. Sam looked deep into her hazel eyes and answered the question that she had been asking herself for months.

"I couldn't do it."

"You couldn't do what?" Andy interrupted.

"Let me finish." Sam pleaded. "I know I screwed up; I screwed up over and over. And you didn't deserve that. I have no reason to hope that you'll ever be with me again, but I meant what I said before we left the station. I meant every word Andy. I love you. You've always been it for me and it took your going away for me to realize it. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't function knowing that I'd screwed us up. I couldn't be with you, but I couldn't be without you."

"But, what about Marlo?" Andy interrupted once more.

"I thought that when you left for UC that you'd made your decision. Your decision was your job instead of me."

"Sam, I love my job and I loved UC, but I'd give it all back to be with you."

"McNally," Sam choked out as he gained some strength and sat up. Then he asked the question that had been going through his mind since he'd been shot. "Is it too late? For us?"

"No," Andy whispered before leaning down and capturing his lips in a kiss.