Over the course of the following week, Dom and his father took turns in keeping Emma company during the day. Deacon and the others would stop by before or after their shifts and it brightened up her day. She was getting stronger and recovering well physically. Emotionally, things were a bit harder.
The therapist that had been assigned had made her relive the events of that day at every session. It was part of the healing process, so he told her. The objective was for her to talk about that day without breaking down emotionally. Getting over the physical pain she had endured had been the easiest part, the hardest, was coming to terms with the fact that she had died and so had Frank. The only difference was that she was there to talk about it and not him. They had been partners for a couple of years, and they had always looked out for each other and it was hard to let go of the guilt she felt. No matter whom she spoke to about it, they made it crystal clear that is wasn't her fault, that she'd had no control over the situation and that in a twist of fate, the outcome could have been the other way around. Placing herself in that situation, she knew she wouldn't want Frank to have felt guilty. That was the job they had signed up for, they had known the risks.
Ken had agreed to wait until she was out of the hospital to debrief on what had happened and that too would be part of the healing process. The case would be closed off and put away in an archive box. She dreaded the debrief because she knew that the elements she would bring forward, would indicate that Frank had been the cause of their undercover mission going sour. It had been a simple mistake, a rookie mistake on his behalf and in the end, he had paid the ultimate price. It seemed almost inhumane to throw it back in his face, but with IA involved, her union rep, had advised her to tell the truth. She knew that when the time would come, it would be what she would do, but not only did she not want his wife and kids to know, but she wanted to make sure that he got the proper memorial service, for his years of hard work and dedication.
Finally, after what seemed like the longest and slowest week in her life ever, the doctor finally gave the green light for Emma to return home. Dom walked in as she stood, dressed, in front of the mirror. Most of the bruises on her body had diminished and could go without being seen underneath her clothes. Dom watched as she passed her finger on her neck, outlining the still visible, yet lessened mark of her strangulation.
"How about we get you out of here"? he said as he handed her a light spring scarf.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness and gesture and took the scarf and gently tied it around her neck. As she did so, a flash of the cable tie came into her mind. She paused for a second, closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, as the therapist had taught her.
"Maybe not so much a good idea. I'm sorry Em, I should have been more careful".
She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "It's all good Dom".
Dom pulled up the car in front of her house and helped her out of the car, up the porch and to the front door. When they walked in, the smell of flowers filled the living room. Dozens of bouquets were placed around the room as well as get well cards, that had been sent by colleagues. The house was quiet, and she was relieved that no 'welcome home' party had been organized. She was exhausted and drained, just from walking from the car to the house, she was in no physical condition to have guests.
He dropped her bag at the bottom of the stairs and looked at his watch. "I need to head back to HQ. Dad should be here in a half an hour".
"I'm good. I'm going to go rest. You should go".
He took her in his arms and kissed her on the forehead.
"Do me a favor, call Dad and tell him he doesn't need to come".
"Emma…".
"Dom, I'm exhausted, all I want to do is sleep and if Dad is here, he'll hover over me and it won't help".
"Alright, I'll stop by tonight".
"Out of the question. You have put your life on hold long enough. Eventually, life needs to get back to the way it was before. So, you are going to do me a favor, you are going to call Janet, whose shift ends at 6, and you are going to take her out to dinner".
He looked at her puzzled.
"What? You think I didn't see how you two interacted at the hospital? I was in a glass room, in case you forgot. That spark is still there, Dom. Take it from me, life is too short for you to miss out on the important things".
"Are you sure? What about you"?
"I bet there's a bunch of brought over homemade dishes in the fridge to last me a month, I'm sure I'll find something to heat up".
"Ok", said Dom. "You're the boss. If you need anything, you call me. Promise"?
"I promise. Now go and get the bad guys. There has to be at least one Luca out there cleaning up the streets".
Dom nodded, kissed her again and walked out of the house.
"How's Emma"? asked Victor as Dom joined the team in the command center.
"Ok but tired. I think she needs rest and quiet. She even told me to cancel my dad taking over for me today".
"No offense to your dad, Dom, but does tend to hover", said Hondo with a joking smile on his face.
"Hey, she's his only daughter, I get he's over protective of her. You know what that's like, right, Deac"?
"Sure do. I dread the day she'll bring home her first boyfriend. I think I'll be waiting shotgun in hand".
They all laughed.
"I still can't believe he let her become a cop", replied Chris.
"Whoever said he had been for it. But I guess the pride of her following in the family tradition took over his fear".
"And he's got every right to be proud, and so do you, she's one of the best and you know I'm not just saying that because she's your sister", said Hondo.
Jess walked in. "We've got an armed robbery going down, possibly looking at multiple hostages".
"It's the end of the month, people are cashing in or depositing their checks", said Deacon.
"Alright", said Hondo, "everybody gear up. Let's make sure these honest hard-working people make it home to their loved ones tonight"!