Alex cracked one eye and saw a blur of pale colors. An unfamiliar blur. She blinked, trying and failing to dispel her sense of complete disorientation. Realizing that she was in fact sitting in a chair, she leaned back, quickly at first and then very slowly, as each and every vertebra in her spine protested. She couldn't think where she was, what time it was, even what day it was. Traveling as much as she did, Alex often found herself struggling to remember where she was, but as she squinted and glanced around, she became sure that this was not one of her usual places. At last, she located her glasses hanging from the top button of her shirt. She slipped them on, and her memory came back in a rush.

Her shoulders sagged. She felt miserable: her body ached, her clothes were a mess, she couldn't help but assume she smelled less than fresh. In the best of times, international flights and jet lag weren't delightful, and this was far from the best of times. She sat up straight and stretched gingerly, smoothing her slightly fuzzy hair back from her face with one hand; her other was still in Olivia's, although the brunette's grip was now slack. Alex took a tiny measure of comfort from the fact that her wife was blessedly, deeply asleep.

The look on Olivia's face when Alex had first walked into the room still haunted her. She had never seen her wife both so raw and so terribly deadened by exhaustion and shock. To be honest, she wasn't sure she was ready to see that look again, and she was guiltily thankful that Olivia remained unconscious. It was all too much. Cragen had contacted her out of the blue, telling her to come home, and in her rush to arrange plane tickets and a leave of absence on such short notice, she hadn't asked about any details. Suddenly, she realized that she had no real idea of what had happened. And, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, she also realized that she needed to pee.

Rising from her seat, Alex carefully extracted her hand and, on impulse, reached to brush a lock of dark hair off of Olivia's forehead. To her horror, her wife whimpered softly and squirmed away from her touch. Alex froze and prayed furiously; she wanted – needed – Olivia to stay asleep, needed to find out what had happened and what they were going to do, needed a second to remind herself what continent she was on and what time zone she was in. Olivia sighed in her sleep and relaxed heavily back onto her pillow. Alex slipped hurriedly away; Olivia wouldn't stay asleep forever, and Alex would be damned if, after coming all this way, she wasn't back by her wife's side, braced and calm, when she woke.

xxxXXXxxx

Amanda stalked down the hall, retracing the path that she was sure she was wearing into the linoleum tile. She liked Fin, but he was late and she was going stir crazy. Following the intensity of the last few days with an afternoon trapped in a chair had put her on edge, and although she knew her pacing was grating on the poor uni who was stuck with her, she didn't care. She needed a run and some dinner and a night of sleep in her own bed. If Fin didn't show his face soon…

As she turned to complete her circuit, she noticed the door to Olivia's door open. Instantly on alert, she picked up her pace. But upon seeing that it was Alex, emerging slowly and glancing up and down the hall, she relaxed. The last time Amanda had seen her, Alex had been fast asleep, hunched over the edge of her wife's bed, cheek resting on her forearm. After her nap and a splash of water on her face, she looked a little better but still seemed a little bewildered. Amanda couldn't say that she blamed her. She didn't know the blonde's whole story, but as far as she knew, Alex hadn't even learned of her wife's attack until a little more than 24 hours ago. She put on her kindest smile, the one she used for skittish vics.

"Hey," she said softly. "How are you feeling? Can I get you something?"

"Better." Alex's posture straightened a little, and although she didn't return the smile, her expression was soft. She looked half over her shoulder, towards her wife's bed, and then back at Amanda. "I'm… I need to get a bite to eat. And a cup of coffee."

xxxXXXxxx

Leaning back in her seat, Amanda looked at Alex and decided that she very much liked the blonde woman. Alex clearly cared very deeply for Olivia, but she was also strong and undeniably smart and practical. While she ate, she had listened very carefully and quietly to Amanda's gently given summary of what had happened. She was focused on actionable items – whether they could go back to the apartment; when Olivia would be released; what sort of support, physical and emotional, she would need to arrange – rather than on the gory details. Amanda was grateful for Alex's stoicism and for the fact that she seemed to know exactly which questions to ask and which to let remain unasked. It made the whole unbearable situation easier to manage.

Amanda finished, and a moment ticked by in which she could practically see Alex processing and planning. Then, the quiet blonde looked up from the remains of her turkey sandwich and coffee to catch Amanda watching her, and she almost smiled. Aware that she had been staring, Amanda resisted the urge to look guiltily away; although she hadn't known Alex long, she had a feeling that she appreciated directness.

"She never mentioned me, did she?"

Amanda shifted a little uncomfortably and set her water on the table. "Um, no," was all she managed.

"I'm not surprised," Alex said softly, a flicker of wistfulness playing across her lips. "Liv is very … conscientious. She still thinks that I want a political career, and she thinks that she'll spoil it. I keep telling her that I'm happy with what we have now and that if I did run, I'd want her there with me. The mayor of Houston, for God's sake…" For the first time since boarding the plane home, a tear broke free and rolled down her cheek. She stopped her increasingly vehement speech short, and Amanda held out a paper napkin.

xxxXXXxxx

"Did Rollins tell you?"

Olivia's voice was very soft, hardly audible over the sounds of nurses and patients in the hall. Alex sank down to perch on her seat, and she gently laid her hand on the hard cast enclosing Olivia's left wrist.

"She told me enough."

Although Alex tried to catch her eye, Olivia's uncertain gaze dropped to the blankets covering her bed, and she anxiously plucked at her wife's fingers with her free hand.

"That's good."

Most of the injuries the doctor had described and Amanda had alluded to were hidden, but Alex could still see enough for her heart to break. She tried not to dwell on her sadness; if she went down that path this early in the game, she knew she'd end up mired in guilt, for not being there to protect Olivia, or rage, for not being the one to rain justice down on that beast. Instead, she focused on how much stronger Olivia seemed already.

According to a nurse, Olivia hadn't slept at all until Alex had come to comfort her and had refused all sleeping pills and painkillers. Given what she had been told, Alex was grateful that Olivia had eventually agreed to take a couple of pills, even if they were only OTC. After sleeping for just a few hours, her wife seemed calmer and less like a wire tensioned to the breaking point. Alex was thankful for that and for the good friends they had. She coaxed a tender smile onto her face and riffled through a pocket in her purse.

"Fin stopped by the apartment. He said it…" Alex caught herself; Olivia knew the state of the apartment. "He found your ring." Alex produced the simple gold band in her palm and waited patiently.

Olivia gingerly picked it up and slipped it over the first knuckle of her index finger, turning it around and around with the pad of her thumb. The gesture made a lump rise in Alex's throat. Even though they had been married for almost three years, Olivia still played with her ring like a new bride. Seeing her do it now, when it seemed that everything else had changed, reminded Alex of their vows: better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. There was no good without bad; she and Olivia had learned that already.

After one final turn, Olivia slid the ring onto her ring finger and sighed softly. Something tugged at the corners of her mouth. It wasn't a smile, far from it, but it still made a bubble of hope swell in Alex's chest. She took her wife's battered hand in hers and gave it a very gentle squeeze. Bones that have been broken knit stronger than ever. It just takes time, and Alex had all the time in the world for her beloved wife.

Author's Note: So much for the one-shot. But don't get too attached; there will only be a couple of chapters. After the craziness of the first two eps, the bottom-scraping misery of the third, and the redeeming quality of the fourth, I'm totally into this season. I'm even eating a little crow regarding Cassidy, as he's turning out to suck a little less than I thought he would. I'm still sticking with A/O, though. It's my ship, and I'll go down with it.