"Has anyone seen Birch today?" Casey asked the men in the kitchen.
"Nope. I haven't heard from her all day." Otis sat down with Mouch and sipped his coffee.
"You think she's sick or something?" Mouch was watching the football game but was still paying attention to everyone around him.
"I would assume so. Why else would she skip work? How come chief didn't say anything? And where is her replacement?" Mouch shrugged and they all got quiet.
It was an unusually quiet shift and it was calm until the end. They were all watching TV or talking at the table. The chief entered the room with a serious look on his face. "Casey, Cyra's been injured and you need to get to the hospital now." The lieutenant stood up quickly from his chair and went to get his keys. Once he was in his truck, he sped away to the hospital.
"I'm here about Cyra Birch." The nurse behind the desk looked up from her file. Her face was sympathetic. "What happened? Will she be okay? Can I see her?" The nurse gestured for him to follow her into a small room with a few chairs and a table.
"Has anyone updated you on the situation..." She waited for a name.
"Matt Casey. I'm her cousin. And no nobody has told me anything."
"Ms. Birch was assaulted and has suffered some internal injuries from a knife."
His heart skipped a beat. "What? Is it serious?"
"One stab wound is on the back of her leg and the other was in her shoulder. The doctors have her up in surgery now. It appears she was left out overnight. Her blood loss was great so that poses a whole other group of issues." He closed his eyes and put his head in his hands. "I am truly sorry about this."
"What are her chances?"
"Be prepared. Her chances are not looking good right now. The only things going for her are her age and her physical strength." Casey pulled gently on his hair. "I'll leave you alone to absorb all of this. If you need anything, I'll be at the desk but if not I'll check on you soon."
"Yeah, uh, thanks."
The nurse checked on him once before he got up and moved to the waiting area. The rest of station 51 had arrived and they sat with him. Dawson held his hand. "She'll pull through. She's tough."
"I know."
Herrmann's phone rang and he got up and answered it. "Hey Cindy. I know I was supposed to come help fix up the house but, uh, Lieutenant Birch was assaulted and her chances don't look good so I was going to hang around here until you know." A pause as his wife talked. "Thanks. I'll call you later."
"Matt Casey?" A doctor wearing scrubs and holding a metal clipboard startled him.
"Yeah? How is she?" He stood up and looked at the doctor.
"We finished the surgery successfully but she's not out of the woods yet. Good news is her chances have increased." Casey breathed out. "You unfortunately can't see her until she is out of the ICU. Go home and get some rest. All of you or at least some of you. I'll call you, Casey, if anything happens."
"Thank you doctor." They shook hands and the doctor walked away.
"Go home and take care of yourself Casey." Dawson looked at him in concern.
"I better stay."
"Nah, we can stay for you. Me, Dawson, and Cruz will stay while everyone else goes home." Casey gave in and left. Mouch sat back down. "Do you guys think she'll make it?"
"She better. I mean her and Casey just started patching things up. It would crush him to lose her." Cruz eyes looked glossy like he was tearing up. "Plus, she's such an amazing person. A little sassy but what's to be expected."
"She was the only one that actually really understood sports. I can't go back to talking to you idiots about them."
"Gee, thanks bud."
They kept waiting until Casey returned. When he did return, he had showered and he had a smile on his face "She's doing better than they expected. They moved her to recovery. I'm about to go see her."
"Has she woken up?" Dawson asked curiously.
"No but they said it shouldn't take her long." A nurse opened a door and he followed her back. Laying in a room by herself was Cyra. She was pale but otherwise okay looking. When Casey sat down, he put his hand over hers, being mindful of her multiple IVs.
