"It's done," the trauma surgeon spoke finally. "I have found the bleed. It was small. I believe there is no further damage." The doctor stood up with a vile she took from her duffel. She then took a syringe and emptied the vile, transferring it into Keen's IV. "This is a cocktail of sorts, sir," the woman said towards Reddington. "It should help prevent sepsis, or other infections."

"Thank you Rose," Reddington said. He stood up and looked around. "Well Dembe, it looks like the house is how I left it then?"

"Yes. The bedroom upstairs would be best for Ms. Keen." Dembe went around to the woman's feet. "Are we ready to move her?"

"That should be fine," Rose said. "That sheet next to her. We can use that to move her."

Reddington smiled at the woman. He liked her. She would be well compensated. He went to Ressler and offered him his hand. Ressler gently let go of Keen's hands and gripped Reddington's. His legs were cramped and he needed the help standing.

Together, the doctor, Dembe, and Reddington transferred Keen to the heavy sheet and carefully carried her up the stairs to the master bedroom. Ressler followed closely behind, gripping the railing. His back and legs hurt like never before, and the adrenaline fueling him was running out. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep for days.

The doctor and men put Keen on the large king bed. She was still unconscious, but had a pained expression.

"I'm going to need more supplies to help her. I ran out of the hospital as fast as I could I wasn't able to grab as much as I wanted. I couldn't risk the time and I couldn't get caught." Rose was writing swiftly on a notepad she took from her bag. When she was done, she handed it to Reddington. Red looked it over and passed it along to Dembe.

"We'll get what you need. Thank you."

"I'm going to assume that she won't be able to be transferred to a hospital any time soon?"

"Correct," Reddington said. He sighed, taking his hat off and rubbing the top of his head. He looked up at Rose, meeting her gaze. "You need to stay with her." It was a statement, not a question.

"For now, at least. Yes," Rose said. "I cannot leave my work for very long. She's stable, her leg and shoulder wounds are not life threatening. Her stomach is worse, but as long as she takes it extremely easy it will be okay too. I'll come back daily to make sure she is getting nutrients and other basic needs are met."

"Fine." Reddington adjusted his hat back on his head. He rubbed at his eyes. Never will he admit that he was getting too old for this. "Thank you again."


Keen was unconscious for days.

She drifted in and out of sleep, trying to remember what happened while she dozed. She stayed like that for a long time. She didn't want to open her eyes. Right now, everything was okay. Her body ached and resisted when she tested out moving an arm or leg, but it was quiet and calm.

Eventually, she couldn't pretend any longer and opened her eyes. Moving just her head, she glanced about. She was in a large, tidy room. When she moved her head to her side, she saw the opening to the connected bathroom. A bathroom which would have a shower, and a toilet, and maybe a toothbrush if she was lucky.

But Keen didn't see anyone. She looked around but no one was there.

She called out, "Hello?" Her voice cracked at the word. She swallowed the best she could and tried again. "Hello? I need help in here. Reddington?"

Everything was blurry. What had happened? As she lay there the memories came back in waves. She was shot, at least once… probably more by the way she was feeling and the bandages. Reddington was there, Dembe, and a woman.

'Oh, Ressler…' Keen thought as memories of him entered her mind. "Ressler?" she called out. No answer.

Keen closed her eyes and remembered what had happened. More specifically, what had happened with Agent Ressler. The way he had acted…. Holding her like that in the car, and on the floor. She remembered his large hand covering hers. She remembered how she grabbed at his suit jacket, and his lips on her knuckles when she was too weak to hold on to him anymore. His quiet eyes looking down at her the entire time, begging her something she couldn't quite get. To live, she supposed. But there was more there.

The memories of Ressler's touch comforted her immensely. She closed her eyes again, remembering the kisses on her knuckles and his soft murmurs telling her she was going to be okay.

The other people in the room seemed to melt away when she had focused on him. And his expression, the absolute grief in his eyes, had her own swell with tears.

She pushed all of that aside. Whatever that was didn't matter. It was just a man grieving for his partner. It would have been the same if it was another person on his team, right?

But she lay there anyway, taking comfort in him.


In inevitable happened. Liz Keen had to use the bathroom.

The past several days she had been unconscious, the doctor watching over her had doubled as a bedside nurse. Keen noticed her bloody clothes in a pile near the corner of the room, and spare blankets, medical supplies, and a clean bed pan stacked against the far wall.

Keen looked down at herself and saw she was wearing a hospital gown. Her shoulder bandage had been changed recently, as well as her leg. The one on her abdomen was new too, but didn't look like it had been changed in while.

Determined to get up, she slowly took the heavy blankets and pushed them aside.

It took a long time, but the woman made it to the bathroom. She half crawled, half dragged herself, but she made it.

Using the bathroom was the easiest task so far. To her relief, she found a toothbrush and toothpaste and brushed her teeth while sitting on the toilet. That task was more difficult, but she felt a hundred times better.

Keen eyed the shower with longing. She knew the doctor had bathed her while she was injured, but nothing compares to a hot shower, or maybe a bath.

She didn't know if she should get her bandages wet or not, but they weren't casts, and the one around her stomach should be changed anyway.

With a heave, Keen pushed herself up on her good leg and pivoted towards the large tub. The water came on, and it didn't take long for the room to fill with pleasant steam.

The first twinge of frustration came when she couldn't undo her gown. It was tied in several places around the back of her neck, back, and bottom, and she couldn't untie the knots with one hand.

She gave up trying to take off the gown and focused on getting in the tub. It was a large soaker tub, and the sides were taller than normal. Keen groaned at the effort, but managed to sit at the edge and heave her wounded leg over the side. Her breathes came out heavy and sweat started to form on her brow and body. The hot air was getting to be too much and she was losing strength quickly.

'I'll just go back to the bed,' Keen thought. 'This was a bad idea. Too soon for this.'

But Keen couldn't get her wounded leg back over the side of the tub. She sat there, straddling the wall, her foot slowly being submerged by the water. Tears leaked out of her closed eyes. She hated this. Hated her dependence and her weakness.

"Liz? Liz?!" A voice sounded from the bedroom. Keen opened her eyes and turned her head toward the closed door.

"I'm in here," she said.

"Agent Keen! God, damn it…" the voice called again. Keen could hear the panic in the man's voice.

"In here!" Keen said again, but louder. She smiled to herself. The man must be losing it to not figure out she was in the bathroom. The door was closed and certainly he could hear the water running.

"Keen?" the voice asked on the other side of the door. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Come in"

The door opened and Agent Ressler walked through, closing the door again behind him. Keen's heart sped up ever so slightly at the sight of him. She didn't like to admit it, but she loved the way he looked when he was in distress. Of course she always found him handsome. But he was so closed off. Always the same suits, perfectly cleaned and pressed. His hair meticulously cut and styled. She knew it was all a part of a defense though. If he can control himself outwardly, then he can control himself inwardly too.

Seeing him disheveled exposed his vulnerability, and she always got a little turned on by that.

Agent Ressler leaned against the vanity and breathed out a sigh of relief. He had on a new suit than from the other day. The jacket and tie were missing, and his sleeves were bunched up to his elbows.

The man looked Keen over and smiled faintly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm stuck."

"I see."

"I woke up and no one was there. I wanted to take a bath."

"The others are gone," Ressler confirmed. "The doctor, Rose, needed to go back to work. She's been coming by daily."

"And Reddington?" Keen asked.

"Taking care of this," Ressler motioned around him with his hands. "You know, killing and torturing whoever he needs to make this go away." Ressler straightened up and crossed his arms.

"So you're stuck," Ressler said. He walked closer to Keen and examined her gown's knots. His hand brushed her hair away from Keen's neck to get a closer look. "These are tight. Here, let me-"

"-It's alright, Ressler. You don't have to. I actually gave up on the bath. I'm stuck getting out."

Ressler ignored her. He was focusing on the knot by Keen's neck. He loosened the knot, letting the strands of fabric fall against her bare skin.

"Here, lean forward. I can't get to the other knots," Ressler murmured. Keen didn't move. Just looked up at him.

Ressler smiled. "I have a better idea." Reaching down, he lifted Keen's good leg up and over the wall and into the water. He was steadying her with his other hand, and never let go of her.

She faced away from him now. Her head turned to the side to watch him out of the corner of her eye.

Ressler leaned down towards her His hands were at both of her shoulders. They slowly moved down to her mid back where the second knot was. He worked at it and it fell away.

Keen's injured arm was tucked to her chest, keeping the gown up in her front. Her other hand was on the tub's wall. She had stopped protesting. His hands felt so good brushing against her back and she didn't want him to stop.

Ressler's hands moved lower still to the last knot laying across her lower back, on top of her bottom. His hands were gentle, and too soon did the knot give in and fall away.

"Do you want me to help you?" Ressler asked in a low guttural voice. He leaned forward and pressed his chest into Keen's back. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and leaned back against him. She could feel the heat of his body through his shirt.

Ressler's hands traveled up again to Keen's shoulders. His thumbs slipped under the front of her gown and down again, gathering the fabric.

Keen let him. Her mind was racing. What was he doing? She wanted him to keep going. Wanted his hands to move even further down, injuries be damned. But she couldn't believe his was Ressler. At one point she suspected he had feelings for her but never did she think he would do something like this.

And she loved it. She had been in so much pain and discomfort the last week and this was melting that away.

Ressler dropped the hospital gown on the floor behind him. The steam from the water caused a beautiful pink glow on Keen's skin. The man hadn't been intimate with anyone for so long he felt unsure of himself. And what he was offering was so much more intimate than just sex. But this was Liz, his partner, and he needed to be with her like this. After holding her in his arms, absolutely sure she was going to die, he needed this.

He was surprised she let him go this far already. But he knew that no matter how things turned out after this mess, he wanted this. He wanted something good to come from all this pain. Something other than constant loneliness.

"Liz?" Ressler whispered.

"Yeah?"

"…Do you want me to help you?"

"Yes. Yes I do, Ress."

By now the water in the tub was full. Ressler helped Keen slide forward and lower herself into the water. She was fully nude, and Ressler couldn't help but admire her full figure.

Keen sighed heavily. "Oh my God…This feels amazing," she whispered, almost to herself.

Ressler met her gaze and smiled warmly. He reached over her to grab the soap bottles. She tracked his movements but remained quiet. The water was easing the aches in her hip and shoulder, and she anticipated the man's next moves.

He worked slowly and ever so gently. Starting with shampoo, then conditioner. He used the handheld sprayer to rinse her hair. He gently cupped her face, running his thumbs along her cheeks and under her eyes.

Ressler took the washcloth hanging over the faucet and lathered it with body wash. Keen continued to watch him. She loved the way his brow was furrowed, focusing on his task. He looked up at her then looked away quickly, but didn't stop. The washcloth moved over her arms, creating a smooth lather. He set the cloth aside and took her hand in both of his. He smoothed the soap over her hand and through her fingers. When he was done, he lowered her hand back into the water and repeated the motions on her other hand.

Keen's breathed quickened. She didn't move. If she moved, then this might end. She still couldn't believe this was happening. "Ressler," She said to him. She didn't actually have anything to say, but she couldn't help but say his name.

Ressler met her eyes again, and kept her gaze. He leaned forward more, grabbing the washcloth and moving towards her neck and chest. Using the washcloth, he moved over her chest, slowly grazing over each breast and nipple. Keen sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. Her head fell back and settled into the grove of the tub wall. Her hands reached for his and took the washcloth away. Then she took his hand and put it back on her body. He continued without the cloth, running his hands over each breast again and down under the water towards her waist.

He felt every part of her. Her waist was so small in his hand, and her thighs spread just slightly when he went further down, past her bandaged lower stomach.

His fingers grazed over her soft mound, teasing the curls of her womanhood. They then went down one thigh, switched legs and went back up the other.

He stopped at her womanhood again, wrapping his hand around the uppermost part of her leg. Her eyes were still closed and her mouth was open slightly. He continued, using his hand to open her leg more. His hand went towards her center, a finger slipping inside of her.

Keen let out a gasp and arched her back. Ressler continued his ministrations, slipping a second finger inside and stroking her slowly.

It didn't take long for Keen to feel the rush of an orgasm come over her. She shook for several seconds and moaned out Ressler's name. When she opened her eyes, Ressler was leaning over the tub. He cupped her face and kissed her. Their tongues met, fighting for rights in each other's mouths. Ressler's hand moved back and grabbed a fistful of her hair, careful to not hurt her. The urge to pull her out of the tub and fuck her on the floor was immense, but he knew how weak the woman was, and resisted.

Ressler's shirt was absolutely soaked, and the water in the tub was splashing over the sides onto his pants and floor. Keen's hand moved from the side of his face down to his shirt. She unbuttoned the first two buttons and slid her hand inside. Ressler leaned back and took his shirt the rest of the way off. His hands went to his belt and stopped. The two looked at each other for a long moment.

"Liz," the man whispered.

"Come here, Don," Keen said back to him. She wanted him. Needed him.

Ressler striped off the rest of his clothing and stepped into the tub, slowly fitting himself in between Keen's still spread legs. The tub was so large and deep, perfect for a couple to be intimate.

Keen held onto him, wrapping her arm around his back. Ressler slipped one of his hands under her, spreading his fingers over her lower back.

"Liz," Ressler whispered at the moment he entered her. He stayed in her for a long time, letting her adjust to his size. He suspected it had been a while since she was with a man and he was quite large. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her more. And he loved the way she tightened around him.

Keen's hips started moving back and forth. "Keep going Don, I can't stand it," Keen said against his ear. He lifted his head and looked at her, keeping her gaze and he moved in and out. She groaned as he moved, loving the way his body felt against hers.

Ressler was slow and steady, keeping in mind Keen's leg and stomach. He needed to cum inside her, and the urge to release was becoming too much. But he wanted her to cum again for him. The rhythm he kept drove Keen crazy, and her second orgasm built up.

"Come, Lizzy," Ressler grunted. Her mouth was over hers, moving to her ear and neck. Seconds later, he felt her go stiff and tighten around his cock. That brought him over the edge, and he came hard inside her.

They stayed together for several minutes, kissing and running their hands over one another.

The water was losing its heat and they both knew this had to end. Ressler got out first, dressing in his still soaked clothes. He then picked up Keen and set her on the edge of the tub. Taking a towel, he dried and wrapped the towel around her.

"I brought some clothes for you," Ressler said. He grinned down at her. She looked up at him and couldn't help but smile widely back.

"Yeah? Thank you, Ress…"

"Yeah, well, don't thank me yet. They're not your clothes. I couldn't just go to your home and get some, and I don't trust myself to buy anything." He left the bathroom for a moment, and came back with some mismatched clothes in his hands.

Keen laughed. She didn't recognize any of it, but she knew they were his.

Ressler helped her into one of his old T-shirts and old running shorts. They were much too big on her, and he couldn't help but feel turned on by it. Seeing her in his clothes. This was fantasy that he never in a million years thought would come true.

"Well they don't fit," Keen said. "But they're comfortable. They smell like you."

"Hmph," Ressler grunted. "I think you look great." He bent down in front of her and pushed her hair behind her ears. She grabbed one of his hands with her working arm and kept it there. He leaned in and kissed her passionately. "Let's get you back to the bed. Maybe pick this up after breakfast."

He picked her up and walked her out to the bedroom.

"Well," The man on the bed said flatly. "The situation cannot be resolved in such a short period of time. I'm afraid we will need to move to a more secure location." The man was sitting on the side of the bed Keen had been occupying, his hat in his hands. "I'm afraid time if of the essence, Lizzy."

"Reddington," Keen started. "What-"

"Lizzy, we must move. I've…waited as long as I could." Reddington turned his all too knowing stare at Agent Ressler.

"Donald," Reddington said.

Ressler stared at Reddington for a long moment. Finally, he continued to move toward the bed and set Keen down. Dembe came forward from behind Reddington and picked Keen up. The two were out of the room in the next second.

Reddington stood up and walked to Ressler. He looked over the man and his wet clothes. Nodding several times and sighing, Red said nothing, but turned, replaced his hat, and left the room.

Ressler stood alone. After a moment he went to the front window and looked down at the drive. He could see Dembe placing Keen into the back of a car, with the doctor getting in after her. Moments later, the group backed up to the street, and drove away.

Ressler cursed at himself. "Well….shit."