Everyone was seated oddly in the waiting room at the hospital and had been for the past couple hours. Fraser stood up suddenly and offered to fetch some coffee at the cafe downstairs. "Dief, stay here."

Dief trotted over to Cassie who was sitting in a chair in the waiting room. She put her head in her hands and a tear started down her face. Dief jumped into the chair next to her. He licked her face and she tried to smile. "You're a good wolf" She pat his head a couple of times and assumed her old position.

No one was sure what to do. Should they go back out to look for the men responsible for this or stay? Obviously, Cassie and Fraser would stay, no matter what. "He'll be OK, he has to be." Hazel put on a smile and spoke to Cassie who she just realized hadn't spoken for hours. That's a record for Cassie. She's a few years older then Hazel so she was assumed the leader of their duo. "Are you ok, Cass?" She knew the answer was no but what kind of friend would she be if she didn't ask?

"Yes, I'm- I'm fine Hazel." She had to say yes. She's kept her strong image up for years. This was no excuse to let it slip now.

"Here's your coffee, Hazel." Fraser brought her coffee and a cinnamon bun for Dief.
"Thanks, Fraser."

"Detective Vecchio?" A tall, male doctor walked into the room. Everyone jumped up and met the doctor halfway. Cassie was feeling too weak to stand but forced herself up anyway.

"Yeah, how is he?" Ray asked. Cassie was too paralyzed to speak yet.

"Well, we just finished surgery. We got the bullet out, it hadn't punctured any vital organs but it's still too soon to tell." The doctor told them.

Cassie eased her shoulders down a little bit in relief. "When can we see him?" She hadn't quite realized she had just blurted that out.

"Who are you?" The doctor asked and waited a moment as he watched Cassie's blank expression. "I mean, are you family?"

"His fianc , uh, Cassie." Ray said quickly and nodded at her.

"Oh, I see. You can visit him then but he's still unconscious?"

Cassie nodded quickly. It really didn't matter if he could hear her or not, she had to see him.

"Very well, follow me then." The young doctor fixed his coat and led her down the hall.

"Thanks, Ray." Cassie mouthed quickly towards Vecchio before starting off down the hall.

Fraser stood up just as Cassie was out of sight and faced Ray and Hazel. "Perhaps the two of you should take Cassie out for lunch?" Hazel looked over her shoulder at the clock and saw it read 11:30 already. They had been out the entire night.

"Good idea, Benny, I'm starved." Ray looked at Hazel who nodded and tried to smile.

"I'll stay here with Ray and call if I hear anything." He sat back down with Dief who was pacing around, probably already hungry again. Fraser was hoping some fresh air would clear Cassie's head a little but also he wanted to see his partner alone. This was just as hard for him as it was for Cassie.

xXxXx

"I think I'll take pineapple and bacon on mine. What do you want, Cassie?" Hazel placed her order as the three stood in line at a small pizza shop, possibly on the edge of bankruptcy.

"Um, I don't know." Cassie seemed too nervous too eat. It had only been a few hours since Kowalski was shot and now bed ridden. She'd barely slept at all and pineapple only reminded her of her poor Ray.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hazel said softly, realizing the pineapple connection. "Should I not order pineapple?" She looked to Ray Vecchio who buried his face in one hand.

"Hazel, it's fine, order all the pineapple you want." Cassie smiled and rubbed her eye for a moment.

"Ray, what do you..." Hazel looked behind her towards Ray and saw a man in line with his hand on a gun sticking slightly out of his pocket. "Ray, that man's holding a gun." She whispered. Ray turned his head quickly and saw the man rocking back and forth nervously with his hand on the gun.

Ray walked over to confront the man but was soon pushed up against the counter by him. "Alright, everyone on the ground!" He threw his gun in the air and pointed it at the clerk followed by others in the restaurant.

"Oh, not again." Hazel whispered partly to herself as she pulled her and a once again paralyzed Cassie to the floor as the gunman commanded.

Cassie began coming out of her trance and noticed the the large jeep in the parking lot, the same one as Colby's. "Hazel." She mumbled quietly and pointed out the window. Hazel pulled at Ray's ankle to get his attention.

"Same car?" He whispered.
"How many oversized jeeps following us around do you know of?" Hazel sarcastically whispered into Ray's ear.

He sneered at her and quickly scanned the restuarant over. "OK, You two slip out the back door. I'll stay here and distract Rambo." Ray nodded towards the back door and the girls crawled towards it. Ray Vecchio wasn't going be a pawn in this game for another moment. He jumped up and spun the man around, grabbing his gun and throwing him against the wall. It was done very smoothly that even the gunman hadn't a clue what just happened. Except when Ray reached into his pocket he realized he had forgotten his pair of handcuffs. "Damn." He mumbled.

"Ray." Cassie called, tossing him her pair of cuffs from the backdoor.

"Thanks, thought I told you two to leave." Ray secured the handcuffs on the man and grabbed his shoulder to walk him out the backdoor with the girls.

"Oh, leave wasn't code for stay?" Hazel rolled her eyes.

"There's codes now?" Ray overlooked the way she was beginning to think.

xXxXx