A/N I still own nothing you recognize. I am making no profit, just playing.

LONG VIGIL

It had been three days since Jaqueline had been brought in, three long days for the men sitting beside her in the hospital. It had been only yesterday since they had been given the permission to go in, they hadn't left since. Flack was looking a bit disheveled, like a person who had spent three days in hospital. He just didn't care; his main concern was lying on the bed, looking too small.

She was out of immediate danger, but for some reason, she would not wake. It seemed like her mind had shut down so to speak. Her mind was trying to protect her, keeping the reality away as she was healing, 'till she was strong enough to deal.

He couldn't believe how fragile she looked. It seemed so wrong. 'She should be making sarcastic remarks to her coworkers or having a few drinks with her mates, playing pool.' He sighed, life just wasn't fair. Flack startled when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Don, you have not slept in days. Go home and get some sleep. After, take a shower and eat something. I'll stay here." Flack looked at his redheaded companion.

"Neither have you, Horatio." Flack stated.

"Touché, but you need it more than I do. You look like death swarmed over you. I'll call you if something, anything, happens." Horatio said.

"Alright, sir, I'll go. Sleep actually sounds very seductive right now." Flack admitted weakly. He rose from his chair and walked towards the door. He opened it, but hesitated. He turned towards Horatio.

"I am sorry, sir. I am sorry that I was not able to keep her safe." Flack said and his voice cracked. As soon as he uttered the words, he found himself looking into familiar ocean blue eyes. He tried to swallow the tears that threatened to fall, he was loosing the battle. The fear of loosing Jaqueline was too hard to deal with. His eyes that had been dry until now were wet with tears and in the end he let them fall freely.

Horatio saw the pain and the raw fear in the younger man's eyes, he knew the feelings well, they were mirrored in his own.

"Don, look at me son." He gently said. Flack once again met the eyes he was afraid of losing, her eyes, in the face of the father.

"Don, you kept her as safe as you possibly could. You did you best." Horatio said, looking straight into the wet eyes of the younger man.

"My best? Yeah, but that wasn't enough, now was it?" Flack's voice was deep with regret and he looked down.

Horatio stood up and walked over to him. He gently lifted the younger man's face gently.

"Son, you did your best. It is enough. Yes, my daughter lies in that bed and she is badly hurt. She could have died, but there was nothing you could have done to prevent it. You know as well as I do that my daughter is a headstrong woman, bullheaded. And if she decides to do something, she will. She is like a force of nature when she sets her mind to it. One has better chance at stopping a hurricane than her." Horatio smiled wryly and drew Flack into a quick hug. She would be alright, it might take time, but she would be alright.

After Flack left, Horatio sat in the chair that the younger man had used earlier.

"Jackie, darling, you got a great friend in Don. I just wish that you had as good taste in lovers as you have in friends." Horatio was silent for awhile.

"But it doesn't matter princess. I love you and I cannot bear loosing you. I have lost so much already, but you have been the reason for me to continue. I know it would be easier to just let go and forget the pain that life is. But life can be a very beautiful thing, if you let it. So here's what I want you to do. I want you to hang in there and come back to us when you are ready." Horatio kissed her forehead and settled into a long vigil over his daughter.

In the mean time Mac and his team were working hard to catch the assailant. They had interviewed anyone and everyone who knew something about officer Caine. Many told them that Don Flack Jr. was the person closest to her, but he had not been at work for couple of days. So the team tried to reach him, but his phone was closed and he wasn't at home.

"Stella. Got any news of Flack's whereabouts?" Mac asked.

"Nothing and frankly it starts to worry me. His cell is still off…" Stella hit her head.

"Mac, we have overlooked the obvious. Of course his cell is off. If he is as close to officer Caine as everyone tell us…" She started

"…then he would be in the hospital." Mac finished for her.

And sure enough they found Flack in the hospital. He looked sad and tired. Stella was sure that he hadn't gotten much sleep in the last few days. They both looked surprised at how miserable Flack was looking. They walked up to him.

Flack stood in the hall, looking through the glass. Jackie was still unconscious and Horatio had fallen asleep in the chair. His back would hurt, but Flack couldn't bring himself to interrupt them. Not yet.

"Flack." Mac said softly, not wanting to scare his friend out of his wits. "Could we have a word with you?"

Flack just stared ahead, like he hadn't a word that had been said. Mac opened his mouth to speak again, but Flack turned to face them. His eyes looked empty and Stella gasped.

"I can't believe it." He whispered.

"I deal with situations like this everyday at work. And now… now that it hit too close to home for comfort… I just can't… I can't deal." And he turned back, staring ahead with unseeing eyes. He was like a statue.

"Flack, we must ask you. How well do you know Officer Jaqueline Caine?" Stella asked.

Flack looked at her and sighed.

"Jackie… Jaqueline that is… is a dear friend. She is my best friend and an occasional lover. I can tell you her address, but then again you already know that. I can tell you her dress size and the size of her boots. I can tell you what kind of music she enjoys, her favorite food and drink, what kind of books she reads. I can tell you the names of her ex-boyfriends from the last three years. I can tell you that she likes Beretta better than Sig. But I can't tell you who did this, because I don't know." Flack said.

"But I have my suspicions."He added like the thought just occurred to him.

"Who do you suspect?" Mac asked curious. They had no suspects yet and he was getting frustrated.