Intrusion
Part Four

As Gina Gold hurried out to the area car she inevitably ran into the one man she didn't want to see right at that moment. Of course it had nothing to do with her not liking him or vice versa, in fact she was quite fond of him but that didn't change her attitude on running into him at this moment in time.
'Where are you in such a rush to ma'am?' asked Smithy as he came from the opposite direction.
Gina sighed, she knew she couldn't just yell 'none of your bloody business' at him, they were friends. Plus she kind of thought Rachel might want Smithy there; she had noticed how close the two seemed to be. She wasn't sure if anything romantic was definitely going on between them but she knew they were close to it if they weren't already shagging.
'St. Hughes,' Gina said looking him in the eye. Smithy could tell that whatever happened was serious but before he could ask she continued. 'Rachel's in hospital, as far as I know she was attacked in her home earlier this evening,' she told him as she watched his face change. She watched as his expressions went from shock to fear to anger and then finally settling on determination.
'What happened? Do we know who did it?' he asked coldly.
'I don't know exactly, that's why I'm going over there now. As far as knowing who did it, there isn't anything as of yet,' she replied as she motioned for him to walk with her, 'I suppose you'll be coming along then? I know you and Rachel are close.'
'Of course I'm coming. It'll do her some good to see a friendly face,' Smithy replied as he and Gina hopped into an area car.

Ryan knocked gently on the door, popping his head in as he did so. He had asked a nurse where Rachel's room was and had found it in no time. He was glad to see that physically she seemed alright but he knew the emotional damage would be harder to heal.
'Hey Rach, it's me Ryan,' he called as walked in.

The blonde sergeant smiled a little as she saw her friend and some time lover. She had been surrounded by strangers, poking and prodding her and although she wasn't freaking out about it, it had still been slightly uncomfortable. Finally having a familiar face around was a small joy for her at the moment.
'Hey,' she replied weakly.
She was exhausted, both emotionally and physically but she hadn't relaxed being in an unfamiliar place. She was glad Ryan was here, she knew she could fall asleep holding his hand for comfort. Dale would be even better though, she knew in her fellow sergeant's arms, she could be at peace forever. Of course that wasn't a possibility at the moment so she'd have to make do with what she had. She wasn't ungrateful though, she did very much appreciate Ryan's company.
'How are you?' Ryan asked and upon her blank stare cringed, 'right, sorry, stupid question. Let's talk about something else...do you know when they're releasing you?' he asked as he sat down on the plastic chair beside her.
'Sometime tomorrow I think they said, I've only got the cut on my cheek and bruises from the...just some bruises,' Rachel replied, looking away from him after her slip up at the end. The air was tense between them; both knew what she had been about to say and up until that point hadn't acknowledged it. Ryan looked at her guiltily and Rachel just looked away, she didn't want it to become real.
'Rachel...I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't stop him,' Ryan blurted out, the guilt bubbling to the surface.
'Please... Don't Ryan, I can't...' Rachel whispered steadfastly ignoring his gaze. She flinched when he reached over and took hold of her hand. She hadn't expected it and hadn't had any proper physical interaction since earlier that night.
Ryan held her hand tightly but comfortingly, tugging on it gently hoping to get her to look at him. However when her gaze remained steadily locked away from his he shifted from the chair to the edge of the bed. His thumb rubbed soothing circles across the back of her hand as his other hand reached towards her, fingers curling under her chin gently.
Rachel felt the bed move and knew Ryan would be sitting there with her. She kept her gaze away though; she didn't want to face him at the moment. She knew if she did that she would completely loose it and break down right in front of him, something she did not want to happen. Thinking he'd just leave the attempt of comfort at that, was partially startled when his fingers cupped her chin, gently turning her head to face him.
'Sweetie,' he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. He didn't feel the need to say anything else, by the simple endearment (something only he called her) was comfort enough from Ryan. They hugged then tight and lovingly before Rachel pulled away and Ryan shifted back to his seat, their hands never untwining.

Smithy and Gina strode impatiently through the hospital until they reached the emergency department. Gina stopped the first doctor looking person to walk by, asking for a Miss Rachel Weston. Eventually they found out which room she was in and made their way to it.
Smithy was anxious and angry; he cared for Rachel deeply, maybe even too much and hoped to God she wasn't hurt too badly. He and Gina took a deep breath as they pushed open the door to Rachel's room. The sight that greeted them confused both Gina and Smithy, Smithy more so then the Inspector. They both stood in shock wondering who Rachel was hugging, watching silently for a moment as they pulled back and sat with hands entwined.

AN: Well goodness gracious me! I don't think I've ever updated a story as fast as I've updated this. I have three other multi-chapter fics on the go at the moment and I haven't written anything for them because this has been in my head all the time. Anyway, I wrote this yesterday while I was at the beach for Australia Day! I hope it's alright and finally some Smithy in this chapter...woohoo! :D So please let me know what you think and leave a review. It'll be much appreciated. CT. :)