I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favorites.

Sorry it took some time to put this one up. I was away for 5 days and had no internet at all. So no chance to send the chapter to my sister nor to upload the chapter. I'm also currently in my exam weeks, which gets first place.

I'm in no way a medical expert so I apologize for any mistakes in regards of all the medical stuff. Also this is the first time (and perhaps last time) uploading a chapter via my tablet, so I'm sorry if anything turns out weird or something.

Chapter 10

Eva was brought into a treatment room at the local hospital by the EMTs. Tommy walked alongside the stretcher, holding her hand. The rest of the team didn't take long to enter the room after them. Eva still felt tired and she rested her head against the back of the stretcher. Her eyes glanced at everyone in the room when she realized someone was missing.

'Where is the Major?' she asked and right away she noticed a change in her team members postures, like she had said something wrong. She looked at them and then at Tommy, who was looking at her with a sadness in his eyes. He started rubbing circles on her hand again.

'What happened to him?' she asked. Tommy took a deep breath and Eva could swear she saw something like tears forming in his eyes. She glanced at the others and she knew that whatever had happened to the Major, it was bad.

'Umm...we were on a case which involved a woman...' Tommy started to explain and his voice sounded like it was about to break. 'We thought she was a victim at first but as it turned out she was behind it all...Hickman was with her when we discovered her involvement and the Major went to the villa...umm...' Tommy glanced at Hickman, who took a step towards the stretcher. Eva tightened her grip on Tommy's hand and he gave her a little squeeze.

'Doctor Anna Clarke pulled a gun to shoot me when Louis enter the house,' Hickman continued. 'She shot him. Once in the shoulder and then two more times...' Eva tried to swallow her tears away but a couple escaped. '...he...umm...died, Eva. I couldn't save him...' She looked at Tommy, whose eyes were locked on her.

'The Major is dead?' she mumbled and he slowly nodded. 'And the doctor?'

'We haven't found her, yet,' Hickman told her. 'I was looking for her when...' When they went after me, Eva concluded. They had to stop looking for the Major's killer because she was stupid enough to go after her father alone.

'Hey,' Tommy whispered at her and he leaned towards her. 'We'll get her.'

The door opened and a female doctor walked inside followed by a nurse. They seemed surprised by all the people in the room.

'I'm sorry but I have to ask you to leave,' she told the team with a heavy Italian accent. 'I have to examine sergente Vittoria.' The team nodded and said their goodbyes to Eva, promising to return soon. Eva held Tommy's hand, just when he was about to leave. She wasn't going to let him go anytime soon. She needed him there.

'Please stay,' she whispered to him. He nodded and sat in the chair next to her bed. Eva turned to the doctor, who had come closer to her.

'He can stay,' she said in Italian to the doctor.

'Fine by me,' the doctor replied in Italian as well. 'I'm doctor Delluci. May I?' Eva nodded and doctor Delluci gently applied pressure on the bruises on her face. When Eva winced, Tommy gave her hand a squeeze. She smiled at him while the doctor continued examining her face. It was a relief to her that the doctor spoke Italian. Knowing Tommy wouldn't understand the questions and answers, gave her the freedom she needed to speak.

'Okay, nothing seems broken,' doctor Delluci concluded. 'Could you try to sit up for me? I would like to take a look at your shoulder.' Eva sat up with some help of Tommy. She felt very self-conscious and aware that Tommy would be able to see the burn as well. The V as a reminder of the family she belonged to. She winced when doctor Delluci applied pressure on the surrounding skin. 'We will have to clean the burn to keep it from infecting.' The nurse gave her a short nod and wrote it down on the chart. 'Eva, you can lean back now. I would like to take a look at your hand.' Eva held up her hand and doctor Delluci started to unwrap the hand carefully.

'It looks like the wounds were cleaned and bandaged by a professional,' she said. 'Am I right about that?'

'They had a doctor...or someone with medical experience,' Eva answered, remembering the kind behavior of the man. The only one who had been kind to her. 'The wounds were caused by a mirror shard...he replaced the bandage one time.' Doctor Delluci nodded and rewrapped her hand with the old bandage.

'We'll put a clean one on it in a moment,' she said to Eva. She looked over at Tommy, who was still standing by Eva's side, holding her hand.

'I was told that you were captured for several days,' she started and Eva stiffened, somewhat expecting what was coming next. Tommy seemed to feel the tension and returned to rubbing circles on the back of her hand. 'I have to ask whether there was any sexual contact during that time.'

'No,' Eva managed to answer.

'Are you sure?' doctor Delluci asked. 'Could there have been a moment...' Eva looked at Tommy and he squeezed her hand. He seemed to understand what was going on even without knowing Italian.

'I'm pretty sure,' Eva answered.

'Would you give me permission to examine you anyway?' doctor Delluci asked. 'Just to be sure.' Eva took a deep breath. She was pretty sure...but what if something had happened? She closed her eyes while she nodded.

'Are you okay with your friend staying?' doctor Delluci. Eva's eyes shot open and she looked at Tommy. There was worry in his eyes. He would know what was going on when she would ask him to leave and some part of her didn't want him to let her hand go. But if she couldn't handle him hearing her answers to the doctor, would she be able to have him next to her while doctor Delluci did a rape kit on her?

'I should get some coffee,' Tommy told her, making the decision for her. Her grip on his hand instantly tightened, not wanting him to leave, but he gave it a quick kiss before letting go. 'I won't be long and I will be right outside. I can be right back here when you need me.' Eva fought against the tears as she watched him walk out of the room. The nurse stepped beside her, patting her hand.

'It won't take long,' she assured Eva. 'He can return as soon as we're done.'

Tommy took a deep breath the second he stepped out of the room, and ran a hand over his face. He turned to the closed door behind him and wished he could be inside, next to Eva. It made him uncomfortable not being next to her. He took another deep breath and decided to get that coffee.

'Tommy?' Hickman's voice turned him around and he saw Hickman, Sebastian, Arabela and Vincente walk towards him. 'Is she okay?'

'Yeah,' he answered. 'The doctor just needed to do some check-ups.'

Arabela handed him a cup of steaming coffee. 'Here you go. It actually tastes decent for hospital coffee.'

'Thanks,' Tommy said and he took a sip. The caffeine cleared his mind a little.

'How is Eva doing?' Sebastian wanted to know.

'Okay...' Tommy answered. 'She will be okay.' He then turned to Vincente. 'Did everyone get arrested? What happened to Giovanni Vittoria?'

'We got all of them,' Vincente answered. 'And we got the locations of other members of the family. There is nothing to worry about right now.' Tommy took a relieved breath. Hickman placed a hand on his arm and guided him to the chairs nearby.

'Sit down before you pass out,' he said. As Hickman said the words, Tommy felt the exhaustion wash over him. He glanced at the team as they waited for doctor Delluci. All looked tired, which Tommy had not noticed before. It had been quite a few days for all of them, but they were going to be okay. All of them were going to be okay. He said it over and over again in his head until he started to believe it himself.

The coffee in his hand had slowly turned cold when doctor Delluci came walking out of the door. Tommy jumped up from his chair. It had taken the doctor a long time and he hoped Eva was okay.

'Eva is going to be okay,' doctor Delluci said when she stood in front of them. 'She has a concussion, several bruises and cuts that have been taken care of. We cleaned the wound on her hand and on her shoulder and bandaged them. She will have to stay in the hospital for observation but it looks she will be okay physically.'

'Can we see her?' Tommy asked.

'Not yet,' doctor Delluci answered. 'A nurse is still with her and soon she will be taken to her own room. When she's in her own room, you can see her. But not too long: it's important that she gets some rest.'

It took about an hour for Eva to get settle in her room and the team was allowed to see her again. Tommy found himself hurrying into the room ahead of the rest of the team. Eva gave him a weak smile. Tommy sat down in the chair next to her bed and looked at her. She looked better. She was no longer wearing the filthy dress, but a hospital gown. An IV was put in her hand. Eva's hand reached for his and he gave it a little squeeze. He was about to say something when the rest of the team entered the room as well. It startled Eva but she smiled when they walked towards her bed. Tommy noticed her toying with her sheet. It looked like she was a bit self-conscious about being in a hospital gown.

'How are you feeling?' Sebastian asked.

'Umm...better,' Eva answered. 'They gave me some pain medication and new clothes...so I feel better...' Tommy watched her closely. She avoided eye contact with everyone and Tommy was worried. Maybe the doctor had found some indication of...or told her something. She had given him the smile when he enter, which he took as an 'okay' but maybe it wasn't. A squeeze in his hand made him look at her.

'I'm okay,' she assured him. Then she turned to the rest of the team. 'Thank you for finding me...' The thanks were almost a whisper.

'Of course,' Hickman replied. 'We're a team and we need to be complete.' Eva gave him a weak smile. The door opened and a nurse walked inside.

'I'm sorry to interrupt but I have strict orders from the doctor that Eva needs to get some rest,' she said while she checked the chart and IV bag. She raised her eyebrows when no one made a move. 'That means everyone has to leave.' She gave Tommy a look.

'Okay, Eva, get some rest,' Hickman said to her. 'We'll come back later.' Sebastian and Arabela said their goodbyes as well. Tommy stayed in his seat, hesitating where he should go.

'You can return when the visiting hours start again,' the nurse told him.

'We need someone to stay with her,' Tommy replied. He saw the rest of the team standing at the door, waiting to see how this would end.

'Tommy...' Eva said but she fell silent. She might want him to leave but the hold on his hand told Tommy something else.

'Well, doctor Delluci also told me to get the guy with a wound next to his eye to leave so he can get some rest as well,' the nurse said. 'And I guess that means you. Maybe one of your colleagues could stay with her?'

'I will stay,' Arabela announced and she walked over to Tommy. 'You should get some rest.' Tommy looked at Eva, who gave him a little nod and she let go of his hand. He stood up.

'Call me as soon as something happens,' he told Arabela. He turned to Eva. 'I will be back in a couple of hours.'

'Get some rest, Tommy,' Eva told him. 'You look like you could use it.'

'Jeez, thanks,' Tommy joked and he gave a smile before heading out of the room.

TBC.