Hello all - I am literally buried beneath a MOUND of papers and presentations and have been neglecting my stories. Sorry for that. I wish I had more time. But sadly things are winding down to an end here at my university meaning every professor and their freaking guinea pig has about 12 assignments for me to do. I appreciate your guys' wonderful reviews and comments - they've incredibly encouraging. And to everyone reading: thanks.

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The cab hadn't even come to a full stop before Sam was swinging out of the door. He shoved a fistful of bills through the plastic divider. The cabbie's stunned face told him it would be sufficient for what felt like the longest drive of his life, but realistically, had lasted probably only ten minutes.

All he wanted to do was see her face. He just had to know she was okay.

He raced through the heavy doors, feet pounding against the laminate floor. The smell of hospital was overwhelming – a kind of sterile, disinfected stench that permeated the very bones of the building. Nurses decked in muted scrubs scurried through the halls, between patients.

Sam skidded to a stop near the check in desk. A woman in salmon-pink linens sat perched behind it, phone pressed against her ear.

"Julianna Callaghan. I need to know where she is."

The bored looking nurse manning the desk tapped a long finger against the receiver. Her brow furrowed with irritation.

"She's a police officer – SRU." Sam said. He tried to clamp down on the urge to lunge across the desk and throttle her. "She was shot. She was in surgery?" He asked.

The woman shrugged again.

Sam leaned across the counter, slamming his palm against the plastic tongs of the phone. It shot out of the nurses' hands skittering across the counter to drop against the phone with a crash. Sam didn't so much as blink.

"Constable. Julianna. Callaghan." Sam ground out slowly, slapping his badge against the countertop. "Now." He demanded.

The nurses' eyes widened as she scrambled towards the keyboard. With a few strokes she turned back to him.

"Released from surgery twenty minutes ago. They moved her up. ICU. Room 419

He was off in a flash, dashing across those shined floors once again. He hit the elevator button and, when the doors didn't open instantly, cursing, shoved through the emergency doors and sprinted up the stairs, two at a time. Only one thought crossed his mind.

She's okay. She's okay. She's going to be okay.

She'd survived the surgery. She'd be okay.