Thank you for your comments! I would just like to tell the guest reader who told me to "Try Harder"; if you read, the line before she answered it says Dennis' wife calls not a nurse or doctor so it does not violate HIPPA trust me I know I work at a hospital. Second, there is no reason Eddie would not be working the case, she is not in a relationship with Jamie and she has been on the case since the beginning, Hope you all enjoy this next chapter! Love Layna. BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"Dennis," She knocked. He was sitting up in bed, alive, awake and with a tired smile on his face he welcomed her to the room. With everything that was happening, seeing Dennis awake made the day a little brighter but her mind was still on Jamie and his critical condition, wondering how surgery was going, wondering if he was going to make it through.

"Janko," His voice was a little raspy but it was music to her ears.

"Damn Dennis, you scared the hell out of me, I thought I had to partner with Adam now." Dennis let out a short puff of a laugh.

"He gave everyone one hell of a scare," Leslie spoke; she had her arms around their daughter, Hannah, who nodded in agreement.

"I know you're going to ask but I don't remember much," He looked almost embarrassed by the fact.

"Dennis you were attacked, you almost died; the fact that you're alive is enough."

"I know but I just want to catch this Son of a bitch."

"We all do Dennis," Eddie sighed, she had a suspect for murders but when it came to Dennis' attack and Jamie's attack she knew there was a different perp and she didn't want to believe it was Adam.

"Janko, what's wrong," Dennis looked at her in concern; he had grown to know her different tells.

"Nothing," She shook her head and threw out a smile to try to mask her worry.

"There was another attack wasn't there?" Leslie walked to Dennis and placed her hand on his shoulder trying to calm his anger. He reached his hand up and placed it on hers but his eyes never left Eddie.

"Not today Dennis, you need rest and this case is far too complicated for a healing man.

"Janko, I've been on the force for twenty eight years, I have seen my share of cases and I hate to tell you this but it's not my first hospital stay."

"We have two more dead and another one in surgery, listen get some rest Dennis, I promise we can work together but not until after you are all better." He was about to protest but his wife gave his shoulder a squeeze, she of course agreed with Eddie. With a quick goodbye and a promise for another visit, Eddie walked out the door. She made it half way to the elevators before she heard Leslie call for her. She turned around and waited while Leslie jogged to her.

"Thank you," It was a short sentence with a lot of impact.

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Erin sat in Jamie's room just staring at him, she wasn't going to lie she was terrified about the way he looked. She looked at him and immediately her mind went to Joe; her older brother had come out of surgery, lasted an hour on machines before he lost his fight, and left her and the family behind. She had seen him, been there when it happened and now she was reminded again because Jamie looked just like him, the chest tube, the ventilator, everything. She reached out and touched his hand softly, he was cold, the loss of blood had caused poor circulation. She hadn't said much since her talk with Danny, instead she clung to her daughter the whole time he was in surgery but her mind was elsewhere. Back in his apartment, all the blood, there was so much; she never knew that a human could survive that much blood loss.

"Mom," Nicki appeared in the doorway with bottles of water and some sort of snacks she had managed to collect from the vending machine. Erin looked up at her daughter and gave her a watery smile as she made her way to the chair next to her.

"Thank you," her voice was small but she managed to rasp out the words. Nicki moved her chair closer and laid her head on her mother's shoulder, tears fell down her face.

"I was afraid, I still am but when you called and Uncle Danny answered I knew something awful happened."

"Your Uncle Danny's poker face isn't the greatest." This earned a weak laugh between the two as she nodded in agreement. Silence surrounded them as they both looked at Jamie. Erin traced the outline of the pulse ox meter on his finger before lifting his hand in hers. He was cold yet it was a higher temperature than when she had found him. She looked at his monitor; the rhythm of his breathing matched the beeping on the machine.

"Mom," Nicki finally spoke again, her voice just above a whisper. Erin looked up at her daughter, "Do you think he was scared?" That was a question that had ran through Erin's head, was he afraid, he obviously fought back but he had been down on the floor bleeding out for hours, was he afraid, did he think he was going to die?

"I don't know," Erin, sighed. "I'd like to think he wasn't, but this is a scary situation isn't it, all of us are afraid right now so I can only assume he may have been." She felt the stinging pain of tears in her eyes as she spoke. Nicki wrapped her arms around her mother and buried her face into her shoulder. "He is so strong, he always has been, he will be okay." Erin tried to reinsure them both of this but was she watched her little brother breath with the help of a tube down his throat and the crimson line that fed the blood back into his body she had her slightest of doubts.

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"Eddie, you should go see him." Adam said with worry, she had been staring blankly at her computer screen for the past ten minutes looking lost. "Eddie, can you even hear me?"

"I'm fine; I just want to catch this son of a bitch." In all, honestly, she was far from fine, her best friend was on death's doorstep and the man she was partnered with now was quite possibly the attacker.

"I'm just saying Eddie, you should be down there I can handle this, take the day, this is a rough situation."

"I appreciate the caring but honestly I need to be here, I just sent Jamie's clothes and the possible skin particles to the crime lab and now I need to go over what we have."

"There were skin particles?" Adam asked in surprise.

"Yes, he's a cop obviously he fought back, we have a DNA of this guy hopefully he pops up in our system."

"Yeah hopefully," Eddie studied Adam's body language hoping to catch on to any give always but not even the slightest waver. She began to slip through each crime scene before her phone went off and with a quick glance, she saw Maria's name on the screen.

"I've got to get this, I'll be right back." Adam looked at her in curiosity but she quickly mouthed the word "Mother" and he just nodded. She moved quickly down the hall and into the file room. "Janko," She answered quickly.

"Hey, it's Baez, can you meet?" Her words were rushed and in a whispered into the phone.

"I can take lunch, maybe in ten, meet me at Amira's Café," Eddie quickly answered before ending the phone call. She casually moved back to her desk and sat down in her chair, his eyes focused on her.

"Everything okay with your mom," He looked at her with suspicion.

"Fine, she wanted to talk about my brother."

"That was a quick chat," He replied.

"I told her I'd call her back, what's with the third degree?"

"Nothing sorry," She threw him a face smile and chuckle before returning to her computer screen. She felt him watching he closely; she had to be extra cautious about showing her emotions.

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She rushed into the busy Deli and threw her coat on the back of the chair across from Baez who patiently sipped on her coffee. In front of her laid a thin file one that would indicate that the person's information it held must be a clean law abiding citizen.

"Sorry I had to sneak by Adam." She eyed the folder, her hopes now slowly deflated.

"I know it doesn't look like much but to be honest finding something on Trevor Slate is impossible, he is an outstanding member of society."

"So you got nothing on him," Eddie sighed.

"No priors but I do have two separate incidences with the NYPD that Trevor started."

"After his wife Vivian's death," She asked.

"Yes, Vivian Slate died last year on Broadway during a takedown. She was held hostage after they exited a play, the gunman made the demands but he ended up killing her. Ever since then Trevor Slate has blamed the NYPD for not trying the best they could."

"And that's where my victims come into play."

"Yes, and your firefighter, he was trained in hostage negotiation he couldn't save her, honestly, none of them would have been able to."

"What do you mean?"

"The killer, his name was Alexander Truman, he was a forty year old business man who had been in debt after and investment went wrong, he set out to die that day."

"Suicide by cop," Eddie sighed. "But why take a hostage, why kill Vivian?"

"He took her to make this seem like he was a threat, but he got spooked, something about a glimmer from the roof top he thought it was a sniper but it wasn't, he got scared and in the confusion he shot her, it was an accident but she died."

"But wouldn't Slate see that we tried?"

"No, when Vivian was first taken he tried to fight Truman who pistol whipped him and knocked him out he woke up to Truman rambling about how the cops were out to get him, when the trigger was pulled he woke up just in time to see his wife killed."

"That's awful, I can't imagine."

"It must have been terrible for him but it doesn't excuse these murders, he had two fights with cops on duty, one he was drunk in but both times he was cut loose, a favor called in by Colin Anderson, one of the detectives on duty during the murder of Vivian Slate."

"I imagine you contacted him?"

"Of course, he actually retired this year, he became close with Slate after the murder, he thought the situation wasn't handled the best it could be and feeding that into the ear of a grieving spouse will only cause chaos."

"Hence the killings, we have to catch Slate, how many people were on that report?"

"Other than your victims and Colin Anderson, there is a Missy Ferguson, she is a beat cop who was training that day, she actually had to detain Slate who was as you know injured and angry."

"We should find this Missy Ferguson; she could be the last victim."

"My thoughts exactly," She said standing up. "I've got her last known address about four blocks from here, called her husband and he said she went out for her nightly run."

"Please tell me she keeps to a route."

"Yes and in a total guess I bet she is close to Canal Street, we have to leave now." Baez threw a few dollars on the table before her and Eddie jogged out of the café to her car.

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They were going in blind, not knowing where this woman would be exactly or where and or if Slate would strike tonight. They scanned the street, a few people out for a walk but no sign of Missy.

"Okay so she has one of those trackers that tell you her specific route and this section of Canal Street is where she would run." Maria held up the image that Missy's husband had sent them. Eddie took a long look and then focused on the street trying to find her and then she saw what she needed.

"There, that alley, its dark and secluded, come on." They ran across the street to the alley, guns drawn and flashlights out they slowly made there was through. It was abandoned and as they looked around, they thought it was loss until something clattered to the ground. Eddie and Maria focused their lights towards the source of the noise. Standing there was Slate and with him was Ferguson.

"Trevor Slate NYPD put your weapon down and let officer Ferguson go."

"No she has to pay!" He tightened his grasp on Missy who squirmed under the knife that sat tightly against her throat."

"Is this what Vivian would have wanted Trevor?" Eddie tried.

"Don't say her name, you don't get to say her name, people like you, the so called heroes got her killed!"

"Trevor we are so sorry about what happened to Vivian but Truman was sick he was a sick man and he wanted to end his life, he got scared, he jumped and he shot her," Maria explained.

"Don't you dare make it sound like an accident he murdered my wife in cold blood and you let it happen!"

"Trevor, Vivian died at the hands of a mentally unstable man and sure we are partially to blame, but you are no better than your wife's murderer." She could see that he was offended by her words but he considered them, she had gotten through to him and Maria saw it too.

"You say that Truman took away your wife but you are doing the same, all those men had wives and kids, and Missy she had a husband worried sick at home right now with their one year old."

"I just want her back," He sobbed dropping the knife to his side; Missy took this advantage and disarmed the sobbing man, bringing him to the ground. Baez ran to him and cuffed him, pulling him to his feet and rattling off his Miranda rights. Eddie took that time to move to Missy and check her over.

"Hey yanked me into this alley and said I was going to pay for what I did, if you and your partner hadn't gotten here when you did I would have been dead for sure."

"But you're here and I'm sure your husband wants you home ASAP but let's get you checked out," She walked her out of the alley to the ambulance that was waiting, surrounded by back up, one nightmare down.

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When she walked back into her precinct the crowd erupted into applause for taking down the cop killer, she could only guess that Baez was getting the same hero's welcome back at her precinct. Cops and detectives clapped her on the back and gave her the "way to go's" and the "Great Job's" as she made her way to her desk. She could not help but notice that Adam was missing. Before she could ask, her Sergeant burst out of his office and called her in. She quickly made her way in and took a seat.

"Janko this is a job well done, the cops can work with a little more security tonight in Manhattan."

"Thank you Sarge, it's my job, what I was trained to do."

"And all on your lunch break, I assume you had a source who told you about Missy Ferguson's whereabouts?"

"Yes sir," She knew where this was going.

"A detective from another precinct whom accompanied you to this take down instead of Adam Hillgar?"

"Yes sir," She replied sheepishly.

"And why wasn't he informed or at least me for that matter?"

"We had limited time, I apologize Sarge, it won't happen again."

"It better not, instead of focusing on the precinct betrayal I will focus on the food, a cop killer was taken down today."

"Yes sir."

"A hell of a job, now go back to paperwork for this collar."

"Yes sir," She stood up and headed to the door but she quickly turned back. "Sir where is Hillgar?"

"Adam left after the new, I suspect he is hurt, but he will get over it." Eddie let out a nervous laugh and moved out of the office. She was bombarded by more congratulations, which she thanked but she had a new focus. She was back in the file room alone, she hit the speed dial and placed the phone the to her ear.

"Hey I need protection on both Dennis Canter and Jamison Reagan's room, not to be left alone." Adam was at large and now with the real killer caught she knew it was only a matter of time before he was going to silence his two victims.