A/N: And back, by popular demand, Chapter 3! I'm so glad Flames has received such a positive response; many thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Spoilers: For the conclusion of Good Soldier (these are mostly my ideas as to what should happen next). Haven't seen it … don't read. Simple as that.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not making any monetary profit whatsoever. Sorry to disappoint. I REALLY wish Michael Westen belonged to me. Then again, I actually wish Jeffrey Donovan belonged to me. But, life isn't fair and that's just how it goes.

Michael's POV

Several hours later at the hospital ...

The doctors looked me over, bandaged me up, put my "fractured" arm in a brace, then sent me to the waiting room to await the arrival of my posse.

My posse includes the likes of Fi, Sam, and Mom. Nate might've been here, but he's currently not able to go anywhere, really. Hey! I was working on getting him out of the hole he's managed to dig himself into this time when I got blown out of my own apartment.

Waiting Rooms drive me nuts. I'm naturally unable to stay in one place for an extended period of time, so these things are literally a legalized form of torture.

So far, I've paced the room 17 times, counted how often the receptionist has inquired "How can I help you?" over the phone (25 times), and done 5 sets of crunches to keep myself occupied. I think the crunches kind of freaked out the kid sitting opposite me. And I've only been in here for half an hour.

Now, I'm mentally counting down the seconds until Fi arrives. I know she'll be first, Mom'll be second, and Sam'll be bringing up the rear.

7 ... 6 ... 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... thwap! The door flies open.

Oops, she's early.

I look up from my uncomfortable plastic seat and lock eyes with her. She looks slightly harried, tired, but also extremely relieved.

"Hi." I state simply.

"Hi, yourself" She responds, her voice softer than the tone she normally uses with me.

She takes the empty seat next to me and stares out of the double glass doors. For a few moments, we remain silent. With Fiona, this usually isn't a good sign. But, I think today is a bit different.

"So, how are you?" She uses the tried and true tactic.

"Better than I was. You know, I don't like using pain meds, but Vicodin really does wonders once your broken extremity is un-numbed." I reply, my attempt at my usual glib humor falling completely flat.

Her lips curve into a slight smile and she finally turns to looks at me.

"Michael ..." She begins.

"Yeah." I reply, turning to face her as well.

"I really thought I lost you today." She finishes, her voice soft.

"I kind of thought it might've been the end of the road, too." I respond, thinking back to the moments before I went flying off my landing.

"I never realized how much this whole things was going to take out of all of us." She muses, once again turning her gaze to the doors.

"I just can't wait till it's all over. I'm tired of all these clues, I just want some answers." I reply, keeping my gaze trained on her face.

She turns once again to face me and meets my gaze. We look into each other's eyes for a moment, and I feel as though we're both understanding what we're trying to say to one another without actually saying anything.

Then, Fi leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to my cheek. God, it's been so long since she's done that. I feel my eyes close of their own accord and as I start to turn my head, I feel her suddenly sit bolt upright.

My eyes snap open only to see Fi looking pointedly at Mom and Sam as they come bustling into the room.

I discreetly roll my eyes toward the ceiling and turn on my mega-watt grin for the late arrivals.

"Dear God, Michael. I came just as soon as I heard the news from Fiona. But there was so much traffic, I just couldn't believe it-" I cut her off mid-sentence.

"Mom, it's ok. Thanks for coming. It was really nice of you." I reply, laying my good hand on her shoulder to temporarily calm her down.

"Hey Mikey, just thought I'd drop by to check in on the invalid." Sam quips, earning an annoyed slap on the shoulder from Fi.

"Oh, thanks for giving me the heads up, Sam. I think I have you to thank for the condition I'm in right now, rather than the condition I could be in on a coronor's slab." I return his jab and he nods graciously.

"No problem, old buddy. Hey, I've gotta split, but I'll meet you over at your place tonight for some post-hospital partying ... your treat." He responds, quickly beating a hasty retreat as I send a death glare in his direction.

"Michael, I've got to get going too. I've got a date tonight and I'm already running a bit late. I'll check in tomorrow." Fi says as she turns slowly to exit the waiting room.

"Fi ..." I call.

"Yes, Michael?" She responds, turning once as she slides on her designer shades.

"Thanks for coming by." I reply, mentally smacking myself for not being able to come up with something smarter.

"See you tomorrow, Michael." She says, striding gracefully out of the hospital.

I watch her retreating back until she disappears around the corner. Then, my mom brings me back to the present.

"You should give it another try." She says, cryptically.

"Give what another try, Mom?" I ask exasperatedly.

"The two of you. You should give it another try." She gestures dramatically to make her point.

"Mom, to be honest with you, advice on romance is the last thing I want to hear from you right now." I reply, rising to my feet and beginning to make my way out of the hospital in front of my mom.

To be continued ... (because Michael can be a complete idiot and not see an opportunity even when it's staring him in the face)