"Sheridan, are you sure you want to be here?" Luis pulled Sheridan away from the nurses' station and guided her into the waiting room. "No one would blame you if we went home."

"Home?" Sheridan uttered, her face creasing with pain. "Where's that anymore?"

Luis shook his head. "See, this is exactly why I think we should leave. One of the guys at the station was able to hook me up with an apartment his family has for rent. It's not much, but at least it will give us a private, safe place to stay until we can figure out what we're going to do next." Luis rubbed Sheridan's shoulders. "Hank's over there fixing it up for us right now; he should be finished soon."

Sheridan hugged her arms to her chest. "Thank you for doing that, Luis."

"I love you, Sheridan." Luis cupped her face in his hands. "I want you to feel secure and safe."

Sheridan bit her lip and hung her head. "I know." A small cry escaped from her lips. "And I love you for it. But Julian's my brother, and, despite everything else he's done to me, last night, he tried to save my life. I couldn't live with myself if I left him now while he's in there fighting for his own."

Luis smiled sadly and hugged her to his chest. "That's what makes you so special, Sheridan."

The doors to the emergency room flung open. "Make room! Make room! We've got an accident victim here, people."

Luis and Sheridan both looked up, jumping back as a stretcher was raced into the room.

Sheridan gasped as she looked down at face of the person groaning underneath the oxygen mask. "Oh my goodness, Gwen!"


Hank smiled as he placed the picture next to the bed. Luis, Sheridan, himself, Gwen. He knew the only reason Gwen had agreed to dance with him earlier was to make Ethan jealous, but he couldn't deny the sparks that had flown between them as they slid across the gym floor.

On many levels, she absolutely fascinated him, but he wasn't sure exactly why. Sure, something about the way she held herself and moved reminded him of Sheridan, but, if he were being completely honest with himself, it was something much more than that.

Something deep in her eyes told him that, deep down inside, she was a reformed sinner like him . . . someone who was just trying to make her way in the world . . . find out where she fit in.

He knew a bit about that.

Luis had been so supportive the other day when he had talked to him about potentially working at the station, but how would Sam react? Would he welcome his little brother or turn him down flat?

With all of his heart, Hank hoped it would be the former.

He was ready to start a new life—to make a new name for himself. Whether or not Gwen would be part of that life remained to be seen—but he had a lot to prove to himself.

Hank flipped open his cell phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Hey, it's me," he said, swallowing hard. "Can I swing by to talk to you? I have something I want to speak to you about."


"Gwen!" Sheridan rushed into Gwen's cubicle. "What happened? The doctors told me that you had some sort of car accident, that you might have a concussion."

Gwen looked up, her head throbbing. "Sheridan?"

Sheridan pulled Gwen into an embrace. "Sweetie, what happened?"

Gwen blinked rapidly, fighting back a wave of fatigue, as she tucked her chin into Sheridan's shoulder. All she wanted was to go to sleep, to relax and lean back . . .

"Gwen? Gwen?" Sheridan slowly lowered Gwen's upper body back against the bed, panic rising in her voice. Her hands still supporting her friend, Sheridan turned her head back to the door. "Please! Can we get someone in here?"

"I'm sorry, Sheridan," Gwen moaned, touching her hand to her friend's arm. "I'm so, so sorry . . ."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Gwen," Sheridan insisted. "Please—just try to stay awake."

"I have to make this right . . ." Gwen's eyes rolled back in her head.

"Gwen!" Sheridan jammed the call button as Gwen fell back against the bed. "Gwen, please stay with me!"