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"Andy, you need to rest; we can talk about this later." It was not his first choice, but he could tell her strength was waning.
"Sam…" she muttered, her eyes still closed.
"Rest, Andy."
"But, Sam…I think…I mean…I lo…" She didn't finish; she had lost consciousness again. Bells and alarms suddenly disrupted the silence that had engulfed them.
And the nurses started rushing in.
Sam was only vaguely aware of his surroundings, barely registering the actions of the nurses who were bustling around Andy. He was trapped by his own thoughts. Was she about to say I love you?
"Her fever spiked again." One of the nurses said to Sam. "You need to leave now."
When he didn't move, another nurse tugged on his arm and led him out of the room. She could see he was in shock, but she didn't realize that it was because of what Andy said, not because of what was happening. She spoke gently. "Please go back to the waiting room; we've paged the doctor. He'll come out and talk to you once he's had a chance to look at Miss McNally."
Sam nodded absently, switching to autopilot to get to the waiting room. When he reached his friends, everyone stood up, shocked by the expression on Sam's face. It was totally blank, as if he could not believe what he had just been witness to. One look at him and Traci started to fall apart again. Oh God. Something bad happened.
Jerry put his arm around Traci. He was about to ask Sam what was going on, but Frank beat him to it; he and Noelle had arrived just after Sam had gone in to see Andy.
"Swarek…" Frank had to call him twice before Sam even looked up. "Swarek..."
Sam looked around, surprised to find himself there; he had no recollection of walking back. "Huh?"
The room was mostly empty now; most of the officers had left, with only Best, the TO's and Andy's closest friends remaining.
"Is McNally OK?" Frank asked, concern apparent in his voice. "What happened?"
Sam shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I went to see Andy and she woke up. We talked about what went down at the Mermaid, until she started getting tired. I told her to rest, but she had something she wanted to tell me, and she just sort of passed out before she could finish. Next thing I know, the nurses started rushing in and one of them pushed me out."
Luke started yelling, "What the hell do you mean they rushed in? Didn't you call them as soon she woke up?"
Sam looked around sheepishly. He hadn't thought to do that; he was just so happy to be able to talk to Andy and know that she was OK.
Sam tried to explain, now worried that he had done something to harm her. "No, we just started talking and I never really thought…"
"Yeah well, maybe you should think once in awhile instead of relying on that gut you're so fond of." Luke spit out. He was not happy. And he thought I didn't pay attention.
"And why the hell didn't you let Tommy talk to her when he came to take your place. He is her father; you should have come back so he could have been the one to talk to her." Luke was beyond mad.
Sam had no idea Tommy had even come to see Andy; he never saw him. Sam looked up at Tommy, confused. But the look Tommy sent back said it all – he had come to see Andy, but when he heard her talking to Sam, he obviously chose not to interrupt.
And now that Tommy was well aware of how important Sam was to his daughter, he was going to stick up for him. "It's OK, son. You're her partner; that means something. I understand." And the way he stressed every word confirmed that he understood more than anyone else in that room.
Tommy may have been willing to cut Sam some slack, but Callahan wasn't about to; he was still livid and more than a little jealous. "Fine, but she's my girlfriend; you should have come to get me then."
Yeah, right; like I would ever walk away from Andy for you. Oh. Well, not anymore.
Frank knew this could get out of hand fast if he didn't calm things down. He forced everyone to sit, including Sam. "OK, did the nurses tell you anything before you left?"
"They said that her fever had spiked again; they paged the doctor and she said they would send him out as soon as he had a chance to look at An…McNally." Sam reported.
"Fine, so now we wait." Frank instructed, and then he looked at every face in the room singling out both Sam and Luke "…patiently!" It was obviously an order, which Luke and Sam both took seriously.
Everyone could tell that Sam was preoccupied with thoughts of Andy; they were worried that he blamed himself for her passing out, so they left him alone. He was content to let them believe whatever they wanted; he just needed time to think. He sat barely moving, replaying every word she said to him.
After running it over and over in his head, he was almost certain that she was trying to say I love you. But why couldn't she have gotten it all out? Why couldn't he just know for sure?
The doctor returned about 20 minutes later and as soon as he entered, everyone jumped to their feet.
"It's OK, sit…everything is fine."
There was a communal sigh of relief.
"Miss McNally's fever spiked… which you know." He added quickly, halting Sam with his hand when he noticed him about to speak.
He continued. "In a case like Officer McNally's we are concerned about the infection and possible septic shock; the alarms were precautions. We need to know when her fever goes up so we can make sure she is still breathing well and that all of her organs are working properly. We did a thorough examination and everything is functioning normally. It's possible she just overdid it a little."
Luke was not about to let that go, fixing his stare on Sam. "She shouldn't have been talking." He then turned to the doctor; "you should have been called right away."
The doctor looked over at him, "Actually, no; it's fine. Her body is using up a lot of energy to fight the infection, but there's no reason why she can't talk when she wakes up. She just has to take it easy; she'll need to watch for the signs and remember to slow down or stop before she overexerts herself. But it's good for her to talk; it will bring her spirits up and help build her strength."
Sam didn't appreciate Luke's attitude earlier and turnabout is fair play, so he wasn't about to hold back either. The message was sent loud and clear when he glowered back at Luke. See I didn't do anything wrong!
Noelle just shook her head as she glanced between the two of them. Seriously, boys? What is this? High school?
Tommy broke up the pissing contest with a question. "Can we go back and see her again?"
"Absolutely, though she'll probably be asleep for awhile now."
"But…"
The doctor knew exactly what he was going to ask. "Yes, if she wakes up, let her talk if she wants; just don't let her do too much. If she takes it easy, she'll be fine. Just make sure she gets plenty of rest too."
"Is there anything else?" The doctor asked.
Best responded for everyone. "No, I think we're good. Thank you."
Tommy went back and sat quietly with Andy while she slept. Mindful of the others waiting, and knowing that she was likely not going to wake soon; he left again after 15 minutes. When he reached the waiting area, he did not go in. He stood in the doorway and let everyone know that she was still resting.
As Luke passed him to go see Andy again, Tommy motioned with his head for Sam to join him in the hallway. "Swarek…a minute?"
"Sure." Sam said reluctantly.
Sam decided to get straight to the point. "How much did you hear?"
"I heard her say how much she cares about you, how much you mean to her." Tommy informed him adding, "And how much she means to you too. Listen, I have to go; I have a meeting to get to. But…um…I know that…"
"What is it?" Sam asked.
"I don't want Andy to be alone tonight." He looked Sam straight in the eye. "Do I need to come back to stay with her?"
Sam knew he was asking much more than that, and Sam meant every word when he replied. "No…I won't leave her."
Tommy nodded. "OK, then…I'll be back tomorrow." He was happy knowing Andy was in good hands; he always respected Swarek. As a cop and as a man, he knew Sam would have Andy's back. He smiled and shook Sam's hand. "Take care of her for me."
Sam assured him he would, before heading back. He couldn't help but wonder though, why Tommy didn't ask Callahan about staying with her. Sure Tommy heard his conversation with Andy, but he must know that Luke was Andy's boyfriend. Tommy was a good cop, and an even better detective, maybe he knew a lot more than he let on.
Before Sam could sit down, Jerry and Traci stood up; they needed to pick up Leo from his Grandma. Oliver decided to walk out with them; he needed to get home to Zoe and the girls too. He grabbed Sam's shoulder and Sam assured him that he would be OK.
Oliver knew Sam well, and he knew that his friend wasn't telling them everything. And that knowledge went both ways; Sam was well aware that Oliver could sense something, but neither one was ready to go there tonight.
"Talk to you tomorrow, Sammy." Oliver promised, with a look that told Sam he couldn't avoid it forever.
Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Yeah...tomorrow."
Noelle and Frank went to see Chris and Gail, planning to check in with Sam before they left. Dov was going to stick around to see Andy before he called it a night too.
When Luke walked in to Andy's room, she was still sleeping. He grabbed her hand and started rubbing the back of it much the same as Sam had earlier.
"Sam?" Andy whispered. Luke grimaced.
When he didn't answer, Andy opened her eyes, trying to hide the disappointment.
"Luke." She was a bit embarrassed, and tried to cover up quickly. "I was just talking to Sam; I thought he was still here."
"He's gone." Luke said sharply.
Andy panicked; she was still a little disoriented. Had she imagined that conversation with Sam? Had they been too late?
Luke was bothered by Andy's reaction, and tried not think about what it might mean, but he still couldn't let her get worked up over it. "The nurses sent him out when your fever spiked." He clarified.
"Oh," she was completely relieved. She looked away trying to protect Luke from the feelings that had to be written all over her face.
"Andy, why didn't you tell us you were hit?" Luke inquired.
"I really didn't know, Luke. I was just so scared for Sam that…"
"I understand that you were scared for him; he's your partner. Of course, you wanted to back him up." Luke was laying it on thick, trying to convince both of them that the only reason she did what she did was because of the code – you back your partner up no matter what.
"But you need to protect yourself too." He reminded her.
Andy wasn't ready for this and she was getting restless, her anxiety making it harder for her to breathe. She really was exhausted; she knew she needed to have this conversation with Luke, but she just really did not want to have it now.
"I know, but I really had no idea." She defended.
"Andy, I care about you; we're moving in together, remember. I need you to be careful. Please don't ever do that again."
She had to stop him; she really couldn't go there. Less than an hour ago, she was telling Sam she couldn't live without him and now Luke wanted to talk about moving in together. She couldn't focus; she couldn't think well enough to handle this properly. She had to break it off, but she just didn't have it in her to do it today.
"Luke, I'm really tired." She replied, hoping he would take the hint.
The tone of her voice was telling; she was trying to avoid him. But he wanted to lay it all on the table.
"Andy, I just don't want anything to happen to you."
"Please, Luke." She closed her eyes hoping he would stop talking. When he tried again, she realized that she was just going to have to do it. In the state she was in, it was not going to be pretty. She wasn't even sure if it was going to make sense; her mind was a jumbled mess.
"Luke, I needed to save Sam; I couldn't let him die." She insisted, desperate for him to understand.
"I know that, you were worried about your partner."
He was getting it wrong; it wasn't just because he was her partner. That's not it.
"You're a great cop Andy; you put your life on the line for people all the time. Of course, you would do that for Swarek. You stand behind your partner…always. But he's safe, and now you need to worry about getting better so we can move on from this."
"But, Sam…" She tried, her energy spent again.
Luke could tell that she was getting confused and he kept pushing it. "Sam is OK…thanks to you. You've done your job, now he can move on to."
What did he mean Sam could move on? She didn't want Sam to move on; not without her.
The young nurse came in and could see that Andy was agitated and obviously exhausted. "I think you should let Miss McNally sleep now."
"OK, OK." He said to the nurse as he stood to leave.
"Andy, I have to get going. The nurse is right, you need to sleep."
"I need…" she mumbled, "…Sam"
He turned back. Was she just talking about Sam or does she really think she needs him?
"He's OK." She mumbled weakly. "Sam…"
"Rest, Andy."
That revived her a little. She remembered this conversation from before. She needed to tell Sam before she fell asleep again. She had to get it all out this time. "But, Sam…"
Luke was getting tired of this; she was just mixed up. He moved to go.
"…I love you." She finished quietly.
Luke was stunned. She paused; right? She didn't actually say 'Sam I love you'. She paused. She had to be talking to him. He tried not to think about the fact that she had never said it to him before.
Luke returned from Andy's room and Dov immediately jumped up before Luke had a chance to explain that Andy was asleep. He schooled his features quickly trying to hide his uncertainty.
"How is she? Did she wake up again?" Noelle asked, having come back from seeing Chris.
"Yes. We were able to talk for a bit." Luke replied, trying to avoid the details.
"Good." Frank said.
"Did she say anything about the op?" Noelle asked.
"Not much, she still insists she didn't realize she was shot."
"You look a bit shaken; did she say anything else?" Noelle wondered.
Sam was a captive audience, hanging on his every word, and Luke knew it. A plan immediately formed in his mind and he smiled. "Just before I left she said I love you," he bragged, watching Sam from the corner of his eye.
Sam couldn't stop the flash of anger that momentarily flooded his eyes. Though he tried to keep his face neutral, the war was still going on in his head. Wasn't she going to say that to me? Was she delirious? If she was, was it now or when she said it to me? She didn't seem to be out of it when we talked…just tired?
Luke had seen the flash in Sam's eyes, replaced by what he hoped was resignation. But he could still see the fight going on in Sam's brain. Luke was trying in vain to hold back his smirk. Mission accomplished. That should back Swarek the hell off for awhile.
Luke could see how his remark affected Sam and he was pretty proud of himself till he looked up at the entrance and the smug smile was wiped off his face. The young nurse from Andy's room had entered and she stared up at Luke visibly thrown.
She had been in the room and heard Andy speak; she also knew that Luke was not Sam. Luke frowned, blatantly ignoring her; but the message was loud and clear - 'mind your own business'. He turned away from her and into his thoughts. Andy didn't know what she was saying; she cares about Sam, but it's not love. I just need to talk to her some more; she's confused. Too confused; she can't talk to Swarek again until I talk to her.
But the little exchange between Luke and the nurse did not go unnoticed. It was quick, but Sam had seen it. When she walked away, seemingly forgetting why she had come, Sam followed her.
Frank started to call him back but Sam held up a finger signally 1 minute.
He caught up to the nurse and touched her arm to get her to turn; she looked troubled.
"What was that all about?" Sam asked, trying to stay calm.
"Nothing; it's none of my business." She stuttered. She was young and still getting used to all the emotions that come from dealing with loved ones; she looked like she might even cry.
Sam didn't want to upset her but he had to find out. "Please…I need to know. Were you in there when he was talking to An…Officer McNally?"
"Yes, but just for a minute." She explained, trying to find a way out of the middle of this.
"Did you hear her say I love you when he was in there?" Sam inquired anxiously.
She couldn't lie. "Yes."
Sam wasn't sure if he really wanted to ask, but he had to know. "Was she out of it or did it sound like she really meant it?"
She could see the hurt in Sam's eyes and she was torn. She didn't know if she was even allowed to answer these questions. She wasn't disclosing medical information, but she really didn't know what she could or should do. But she did know that if she just answered the question, he would never know the truth. Because as soon as she told him she thought Andy meant it he would be crushed and he wouldn't want to know any more. He probably wouldn't wait for her to explain; she remembered the way he reacted before.
He could see that something was holding her back; his gut was screaming at him. "OK...If you don't want to answer that question can you tell me this? Did you hear her say anything else?"
"Yes." She answered relieved.
"What was it?" Sam wondered.
"Just…a name."
She said 'a name'. Why didn't she say the actual name? Sam didn't know if she even knew Luke's name. He took a deep breath and glanced down, bracing himself to hear her next response. "Was it Luke?"
She shook her head but he wasn't looking. "No." She answered quietly.
His head snapped up and his eyes started to cloud. He had to clear his throat before wondering, "Was it Sam?"
She looked him in the eye and nodded.
It was Sam…She said Sam. She loved Sam. She loves me.
She could see the joy in his eyes as she walked away, and she couldn't help but feel some joy in her own heart.
But Sam's joy did not last when he remembered why he had followed the nurse in the first place. Luke had made it sound like Andy loved him when he knew damn well that she didn't.
It took every ounce of Sam's self control not to go all retrain on Luke's ass again. But it didn't take long for Sam to realize that it wouldn't do any good anyway; Callahan was only fooling himself. All Sam could do was hope that Andy would set Luke straight...soon. And Sam would do whatever he could to make sure that happened.
Sam headed back to the room confident, knowing exactly what he was going to do. He loved Andy, and now that he knew she felt the same way, he would not be stepping aside again. Whether Callahan knew it or not, Sam was not going to give Andy up without a fight.