AN: I am so so sorry for the slow updates folks! This semester of school is coming to a close and college has a ridiculous amount of work at this point...
Chapter 8 -
"Go over again what happened," said Frank calmly.
"Frank, I need to be with her," Sam said weakly, "Please."
"She's at the hospital in surgery. There's nothing you can do but wait," Frank said, "Go over what happened one more time."
"We were responding to a domestic disturbance. She got out of the car first and started walking up the path. The suspect was in the upstairs window with a gun pointed right at us. She radioed it in to dispatch. And then he shot at us. I tackled her to the ground and covered her body with mine and then got up and we went inside to arrest the suspect. I noticed she hadn't followed me upstairs so I called to her and didn't hear a response. I handcuffed the suspect to the radiator and removed all weapons and then went downstairs and found her," Sam said.
"Why was she so far in front of you? Why did she get out of the car first?" Frank asked.
"We were having a personal conversation. She wanted out," Sam said, "So she was throwing herself into work. That's how she copes. Frank, please, I'm asking you as a friend. Can we go to the hospital?"
"Sure. Go take a quick shower Swarek. We'll leave in twenty," he said.
Thirty minutes later, Sam was seated in the hospital waiting room dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and his leather jacket. He had his head resting on his clasped hands and he was staring down at the linoleum floor.
"Sam!" said Nash's voice. Sam looked up to Andy's best friend. "Are you okay?"
"Been better," he grunted before resuming his unyielding stare at the floor tiles.
"You aren't hurt?" she asked.
"No," he said.
She wrapped her arms around his body quickly.
He gently patted her back. "Always a good turnout when it's one of our own," Sam said.
Traci winced slightly.
"Sorry," he said ruefully.
"It's true," Traci said, shrugging, "Have we heard anything?"
Sam shook his head. "Dammit," he yelled, slamming his fist onto the end table beside his bench.
Traci jumped and the quiet chatter in the room died altogether.
"Sam," Traci said, "What?"
"This is on me," he said, "If she dies," he choked, "It's my fault."
"Sam," she said, "You didn't do anything wrong."
"Nash, what if she dies?" Sam asked harshly.
Traci swallowed hard.
The door to the waiting room opened and everyone looked up.
"McNally," said the doctor.
Everyone looked on expectantly.
The doctor sighed. "Andrea suffered from one bullet wound. One penetrating the artery in her leg causing the rapid blood loss. She also took a few rounds in her vest, so it appears that she has a few bruised ribs. She hit her head quite hard. And she lost a lot of blood," she explained.
"It's Andy," Sam said under his breath.
"It's quite serious," said the doctor, "She coded three times, but she's finally stable. She's a very luck girl."
Sam's heart pounded hard in his chest. "Can I see her?" he asked gruffly, catching her arm just before she disappeared off into the ICU.
"I'm sorry officer. It's family only at this point," said the doctor, shaking her head.
"Doctor," Traci said, appearing at his shoulder, "He's her partner. He was with her when she got shot."
The doctor hesitated, eyeing Sam's pale face and his bloodshot eyes. "Only for a little while," she said, "Come back with me."
"Thank you," Traci said. She squeezed Sam's hand and then he hurried after the doctor back into the ICU room.
Sam's heart dropped into his stomach at the sight of Andy lying in the bed. "Can I-?" he asked the doctor.
"You can touch her," said the surgeon, "You won't hurt her."
Sam slid his hand into hers, avoiding all the lines coming off of her. "Andy," he said, pulling a chair up to the bed. He glanced at the doctor. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked.
The doctor came up behind Sam and rest a hand on his shoulder. "It's tough to say right now," she said sadly, "But we're keeping her in a coma to help speed her brain heal and we're keeping a close eye on her and we have everything in control for now."
"What are her chances?" Sam asked.
"We can't give it an exact number right now. But if she makes it through the rest of the night, I'm confident she will fully recover," she replied.
Sam swallowed hard.
"Can I grab your name?" asked the doctor.
"Officer Swarek," Sam said, not looking up from Andy, "Sam."
"Sam Swarek?" she repeated.
"Yes," Sam said, glancing at her, "What?"
"You're her first medical contact number," said the doctor.
Sam's heart pounded in his chest and he turned his gaze back to Andy. "What?" he asked under his breath.
AN: Just a little filler chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyhow! I wanted to give a quick shoutout to ChippewaPrincess96 for her review for the last chapter that made me smile like crazy. Thank you! It's always good to hear that people appreciate my work as much as you!
Not to say that everyones reviews don't make me smile like crazy. So keep 'em coming!
