Disclaimer:I do not own Rookie Blue or related characters. Writing as an old fan of the show, particularly the McSwarek dynamic, which, I believe is the backbone of the show. No copyright infringement intended.

Author's Note:Once again, thank you all for your kinds words and encouragement. I sincerely appreciate you sharing your thoughts and opinions on this. Also, thanks to everyone who's taking the time to follow, favourite or just read this story.

This chapter is also unbetaed. So, all mistakes are mine. And I apologize for the delay in updating. Busy week.

Chapter 3: Fighting Chance

It was morning, again. The sun was shining again. Sam was breathing on his own, again.

Andy sighed, once more, watching his chest rise and fall, as he lay asleep in the starched white sheets of the sterile hospital bed. It was hard to believe that two days have passed since she had spoken to Dov. Thank God for good friends. Traci had not taken Sam's injury well, too many memories of Jerry clouding her mind, and she had fearfully kept imagining the same disaster that befell her a year ago descend on her best friend. After seeing through Sam's surgery she had mostly stayed away, except visit once during visiting hours each afternoon, accompanied by Steve.

Andy understood. She could empathize with what Traci had gone through and thanked God and the Universe, every waking moment that she had been spared that fate. A world without Sam was not a world, in any universe, that she wanted to live in.

Dov had been an amazing support the last couple of days. Keeping aside his own messed up situation with Chloe, whose husband had finally given the hospital permission to do the surgery, which thankfully, was successful, Dov had helped Andy focus on recovery plans for Sam. She had always been good at planning things out, preferably plan every step of her life out. And Dov had known that, and had used that knowledge to help her cope with the very difficult road ahead for all of them.

Andy could not help but smile as an old memory cropped up. On the night of the hooker detail, when she and Dov, in their eagerness to redeem themselves had put Sadie and their lives at stake at the gun bust, Sam had taken them to task. She had never thought she would ever be scolded like a child after leaving middle school, but that's exactly what Sam had done. He had scolded her and Dov only as a concerned loved one would, and that was the day she had learned, how much the man actually cared for them, people he and Oliver liked to refer to as 'their rookies'.


Sam's surgery has been successful. But the damage to his internal organs had been extensive, and it would take several weeks of bed rest before he would even be allowed back to desk duty. Field visits would be out of the question until the division's assigned psychologist pronounced him fit for regular duty. His body was still in a fragile enough condition that the doctors wanted him to be sedated enough to enable it to recover enough to handle post-surgery complications should there be any.

Sam's amazing physical fitness certainly helped. Andy could not help but smile at the thought of that. Sam had always worked out. But all the running and watching his caffeine intake had helped tone his body into an even fitter healthier state. She hoped she would be able to join him in training in the coming days as he prepared to get back to work. She stopped short in her own thinking. Perhaps, her thoughts were running too far ahead. He still had some time before he was released from the hospital.

And they still had to communicate well enough to make a sincere commitment to trying again. No matter how hard the road was—

"Overthinking again, McNally?" Andy could not have been more shocked had clouds burst into the room, at that moment, as Sam's voice reached her. She looked up into his eyes, not missing the twinkle, amazed, that waking up post-surgery, Sam's smirking was still at par as always.


And true to her habit of coming up with inappropriate responses, almost always, Andy promptly burst into tears - big wracking sobs with all the grace of a child, unlike those cinematic pretty crying that film actresses seemed to be so good at exhibiting.

"Andy" she heard him speak, softly, as he placed his hand on her lowered head. She moved a little closer wanting his fingers in her hair, soothing her, as he used to do. It was only fair, she thought, after all, he was the reason she was crying so hard. The relief of knowing, he was awake, and back in the role of comforting, somehow helped her release even more tears, as she continued to cry. Gradually, the sobbing changed to soft shedding of tears, as she slowly raised her head to look at him, again.

As he moved his hand from her waves, she caught his hand in both of hers, Lowering her gaze once more. They stared at each other, a stillness all around. "Sam" she said, "I… I thought I would lose you and, and… "

It was one moment too long before Sam responded. "Andy, look at me. Look at me. I am here, alright? I'm right here. Not going anywhere."

Andy gave him a tremulous smile, but could see from his expression, he didn't really buy it. And his next words confirmed it.

"Come on" Sam urged, "Andy, you can do better than that. Where's that room-lightening Bambi-eyed smile from my rookie?"

Andy could not help, but laugh out loud at that. It was wonderful to hear him treat her exactly as he used to in the beginning days of their acquaintance. And she did not miss his slight emphasis on the possessive pronoun.

It felt good, Andy had to admit to herself. It felt downright wonderful. She knew, things weren't going to be all roses, going forward. But Sam's voice, his words, and his face, oh God, his face, gave her hope. Hope that they had a fighting chance.