Author's note: Wow, you guys. The support I've been getting on this story is phenomenal, and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for taking so long to update. Just know I appreciate you all so much. Also, I now have a writing blog where I'll be posting things about my stories and such. Please visit it at .com

Chapter Ten

Jamie

Jamie was just getting out of the shower at Danny's house when his cell phone rang from the pocket of his jeans, which he'd discarded on the floor. Fearing that it may be about Eddie, he dried his hands off quickly and dug his phone out. Fear was hot in his stomach when he saw Linda's name on the caller ID.

"Hello?" he answered, pulling a clean pair of sweats on that he'd had in the car with him. "Is Eddie okay?"

"Jamie, don't panic, but..." As Linda trailed off, Jamie's heart leapt into his throat. "I went out to the hall to call Danny and get a cup of coffee, and when I left the police officer was still guarding Eddie's room, so I don't know how he got in..."

Linda was hysterical, and Jamie was well on his way there, too. "Brian? Are you talking about Brian?" As he was speaking, Jamie was pulling a t-shirt over his head, hands shaking.

"I don't know. When I came back, a guy wearing scrubs with a mask on was leaving Eddie's room with a wheelchair, so I assumed at first that it was a nurse. But his demeanor was so odd..." Jamie heard Linda take a deep, shaky breath on the other end of the phone. "Just please get here as quickly as you can. I've already called Danny."

"Okay. Don't leave her side, Linda," Jamie warned before hanging up.

The drive back to the hospital seemed to take hours but in reality was only ten or fifteen minutes. When he got to the hospital, he ran up to Eddie's floor, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. The police officer was outside Eddie's room, but it was a different one than when he'd left. He intended to find out where the officer was when Brian or whoever it was got in, but it would have to wait.

In Eddie's room, Linda was standing to Eddie's left, while Dr. Coleman was to her right. "What the hell happened?" Jamie demanded, his eyes landing on Eddie's sleeping form.

Linda grabbed Jamie by the elbow and lead him out into the hall, her face taut with worry. "Like I said, I went to get coffee and call Danny, and when I came back, a man in blue scrubs was leaving Eddie's room with a wheelchair. I thought nothing of it until I realized that Eddie was completely unconscious, not just asleep."

"He drugged her, didn't he?" Jamie asked, scrubbing a hand over his face.

Linda nodded. "There's an injection mark on her left arm. Looks like he shot her up with some type of incredibly strong sedative."

Jamie thought about this for a moment. Was the man posing as a nurse Brian or one of his minions? There was no doubt that he – whoever he was – was going to take Eddie. That was obvious and the visual of it sent a chill down Jamie's spine.

"What did he look like?" Jamie asked, lowering his voice.

Linda seemed to think about it for a moment, chewing her lip like Eddie always did. "He was probably six foot one, dark brown hair, brown eyes... I couldn't see anything beyond that." An odd look crossed her face and something seemed to dawn on her. "He also had a scar across his forehead."

With shaking fingers, Jamie pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed Linda's description down, making sure to note what she said about the scar. When Eddie regained consciousness, he was planning to ask her once he was sure she could handle it.

Before Jamie or Linda could say anything else, Danny and Baez walked up behind them, both of their faces pinched up. "What happened?" Danny asked, kissing Linda on the cheek.

"I was coming back from getting coffee and calling you," Linda began, motioning towards Danny, "and a guy was coming out of Eddie's room with a wheelchair. He had a mask on his face. There was a huge scar on his forehead."

"Can you describe him?" Baez asked, with her pen poised over her notepad.

"He was probably six one, he had dark brown hair, his eyes were brown... That's all I could see." Linda rattles it off again like she has it memorized, and Danny and Baez both wrote it down.

"What happened then?" Danny asked, looking at Linda.

"I went to Eddie's room to see if she was okay, and it looked like she was just asleep. But I shook her to try to wake her up, and that was when I realized that she was unconscious. He drugged her. There's an injection spot on her left arm." Linda's voice was shaky, and Danny rubbed her back gently. "He must have heard me coming because he rushed out. He looked right at me."

Feeling as though he had gathered all the information he could, Jamie excused himself from the conversation and re-entered Eddie's room. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was fast, unnaturally so. Jamie studied her for a minute and walked closer, staring at her just as Dr. Coleman seemed to be. When she heard Jamie walk up, Dr. Coleman looked at him, her face pulled tight.

"Do you have any idea what he shot her up with?" Jamie asked, afraid to hear the answer but feeling the strong need to know what had been done to his strong, capable partner to put her into unconsciousness.

"We're waiting for tests to come back on Eddie's blood," the doctor said, studying a clipboard in her hands now, "but I have a feeling it's something very strong, like Flurazepam. Eddie's blood pressure and oxygen are stable now, so we took her off of the IV, so that's why he shot it into her arm." Dr. Coleman looked unbelievably concerned, which scared Jamie even more than he already was, if it was possible. "Whoever it was came prepared." But the look on the doctor's face told Jamie she knew exactly who it was from what she had been told.

"Did her scan results come in?" he asked, taking his usual seat beside Eddie's bed and fighting the urge to hold her hand.

Dr. Coleman nodded. "They did. Before this happened, we were planning on sending her home tonight. The hematoma is already shrinking, thanks to the corticosteroid and oxygen therapy. She did throw up once while you were gone, but the Reglan has been upped again. Once I send her home, one of the medicines I'll prescribe her is Zofran."

Jamie nodded, trying to take everything in. It was all incredibly overwhelming, which was saying a lot for somebody who kept the streets safe every single day. "So how far does this whole thing set her back?" Jamie asked, able to see the massive injection mark on Eddie's arm.

"I'm keeping her one more night, and if no symptoms persist and there aren't any repercussions from whatever she was shot up with, she'll go home tomorrow afternoon. I want her to be home safely and out of the cold before this snowstorm hits."

Don't remind me, Jamie thought, remembering what he'd heard earlier at Danny's house on the news that he had playing in the background of the otherwise quiet house. Although he was immensely relieved Eddie would be released and that her hematoma was shrinking, two thoughts haunted him.

First off, what if Eddie were to get sick after she was released and the snowstorm was so bad the ambulance couldn't reach her? And secondly, where would they go? Danny had offered his house, but Jamie didn't want to crowd the family of four and make Eddie even more stir-crazy than she already was.

Before he could think about it any further, Jamie's thoughts were interrupted by Danny entering the room, closely followed by Baez and Linda. Nobody said anything, and nobody had a chance to before Eddie suddenly seemed to sense the numerous people in the room and began to stir. Jamie's heart leapt with relief, and it was then that Jamie realized there had been a fear sitting in him that Eddie may never wake up.

Dr. Coleman, Jamie, Danny, Baez, and Linda all watched closely as Eddie tried to come to. There was no moment of confusion, no look of obliviousness. Eddie's facial expression went straight to panic, her eyes wide and her hands going straight to her left arm, her fingers running straight over the needle mark there. Jamie was the first who went to comfort her, putting one hand on her arm and the other on her knee like he found himself doing a lot lately. Nobody said a word.

"What-?" Eddie started, her eyes roaming over Jamie's face and then over everybody in the room. "Brian?" The name sounded slurred, but it confirmed exactly what every single person in the room already knew.

Jamie nodded, trying to keep his facial expression neutral or even calming. "Hey, it's okay," he whispered to Eddie, squeezing her arm. "You were drugged but you're safe now."

"Was it Brian?" she sputtered, her speech still slurred.

Jamie looked at Danny, who gave an almost unnoticeable shrug. "We don't know yet, Eddie. But we have reason to believe so, yes," Danny said, his voice soft in an obvious attempt not to alarm Eddie. But it was too late for that. "What do you remember?"

Eddie thought about it for a minute, her eyes glassy and unfocused. The blank look on her face scared Jamie more than he cared to admit. "I remember... I was asleep, I think. Linda had just left to go call Danny. And I woke up to a sharp pain in my arm. And then I was out again." To everybody's surprise, Eddie's blue eyes filled with tears. She swiped them away as quickly as they fell. "I only saw him for a second. Not long enough to see anything."

Danny and Baez nodded in unison. "We'll grab whatever security footage the hospital has and bring you the shots. See if you recognize him." Just as Jamie was wondering when they would ask Eddie about the scar, Danny did. "Linda said that the man she saw coming out of your room had a scar on his forehead. Did Brian have one? Do you remember?"

Immediately, realization flashed across Eddie's face, and they all knew. It was him. She nodded furiously, with another emotion on her face that Jamie couldn't quite read. "That was him. I gave him that scar," she said, shocking everybody when the corners of her mouth tugged upward in an almost-smile. When everybody, even Dr. Coleman, looked at her questioningly, she elaborated. "It was when we were dating. I stabbed him with my car keys. I had gotten home late, and he came out and punched me in the driveway... So I stabbed him."

Jamie smiled, feeling proud and a little amused. Bastard got what he deserved. Danny smiled, too. "So it was definitely him," he said, looking at Baez, who nodded and jotted something down on her notepad.

Then, something occurred to Jamie. "How was the bastard even able to get in? What happened to the officer outside her door?"

Danny and Baez exchanged a look, and Jamie and Eddie both knew what was coming. "He could potentially lose his shield. He left to answer a call from his wife. Looks like Brian took the opportunity. There's no doubt he was going to try to take Eddie after he drugged her."

An involuntary shiver ran through Jamie and Eddie both. "Yeah, and the scary thing is that he probably would have gotten away with it had he not heard Linda's footsteps." Jamie gave Linda a grateful smile, and Eddie followed suit. Danny smiled proudly.

Eddie looked up at Dr. Coleman. "When will I be able to go home?" she asked eagerly, her face hopeful.

Dr. Coleman smiled and patted Eddie's shoulder. "We were able to take your IV out and, as you can tell, your oxygen is gone. Your scans came back and your hematoma has already started to shrink thanks to the corticosteroid and the oxygen therapy. If you don't present any more symptoms, you'll be going home tomorrow."

Eddie looked at Jamie and for the first time in a while, he saw a bright, genuine smile cross her face. He smiled back, unable to help it. "So I'll need to bring her back for a follow-up?" he asked Dr. Coleman.

"Yes. And if she presents more symptoms after release, get her back to the hospital immediately," the doctor informed him, putting emphasis on immediately. Jamie nodded in understanding.

The room was silent for a minute, and it was Danny who finally spoke. "Alright, kids. We're gonna go grab the security footage and then we'll be back in a bit so you can make a positive ID." After he kissed Linda on the cheek and started to steer Baez toward the door, Danny turned to look at Eddie. "We're gonna catch him, Janko."

For the first time since all this started, Jamie and Eddie both genuinely believed him.

Eddie fell quickly back to sleep after Danny, Baez, Linda, and Dr. Coleman left. Her arms were crossed over her stomach, and her face was relaxed. Jamie flicked the TV back on and left it down low, switching it onto the news. He stilled when he read the headline:

Winter storm already affecting parts of upstate New York, headed south.

Great, he thought. He quickly directed his thoughts towards something else, but where his mind wandered wasn't any better. He couldn't help but think about what kind of damage all of this would do to Eddie, and about what he could possibly do to help her. Then he remembered that Eddie had scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist, which she had obviously missed. Feeling a little like he was violating her privacy but knowing there was no other way to find out, he grabbed Eddie's phone and scrolled through her missed calls.

There was a New York-area number that hadn't been programmed into Eddie's phone, and whoever it was had left a voicemail.

"Hi, Edit. This is Jessica from the office of Dr. Iris Ackerman. I'm calling in regards to an appointment you missed. If you would like to call to reschedule, call me back at this number at your earliest convenience. Thank you."

Jamie saved the message, trying to make a mental note to ask Eddie about it when she woke up, but for now, he put the phone back where it was and leaned back in his chair, trying to put the whole psychiatrist thing out of his mind.

As he listened to the news playing in the background, Jamie found his eyelids becoming heavy, and before he knew it, he had dozed off, jerking awake at the sound of footsteps, filled with panic. Relief washed over him when he realized that not only was Eddie okay and still breathing, she was awake, and she was talking to Danny.

"Jamie, you okay?" Eddie asked, eyebrows raised.

Jamie glanced at the clock on the wall, surprised that it was nearly six o'clock in the evening. He nodded, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I just dozed off," he explained before turning his gaze to Danny. "Do you have anything?"

Danny nodded, his facial expression grim. He briefed Eddie quickly on the whole Dal Cooper situation, realizing that she had been asleep when Jamie had called him that morning. He explained that Dallin was Brian's other accomplice, that he was thirty-three years old and from Queens. "Does that name sound familiar to you at all, Eddie?" he asked, hope in his voice.

Eddie mulled that over for a minute. Jamie could tell she was turning Cooper's name over in her mind. "No," she said finally. "Do you have a picture of him?" Danny nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, pulling Cooper's mug shot and handing Eddie the phone.

Her facial expression told them everything.

"Do you recognize him, Eddie?" Danny asked eagerly, a deep crease between his eyebrows.

Eddie swallowed hard and she handed the phone back to Danny liked it had burned her. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and filled with some emotion neither Danny nor Jamie could identify. "I've seen him... He's the man I've seen outside my apartment and a few other places in the past. Usually it's when I'm out to dinner or coming home from work."

Fear shot through Jamie and truly, he didn't know what to think. "When did this start?" Danny asked, that damn notepad in his hand again.

"About five months ago," Eddie admitted, biting her lip. "At first, I thought nothing of it because I only saw him at restaurants or when I was leaving yoga, and it was only a few times. But then when I saw him outside my apartment a few weeks ago, I knew... I knew it wasn't innocent or a coincidence." To Danny and Jamie's horror, Eddie's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry I didn't say anything. I was so focused on Brian that I didn't pay enough attention to anything else."

Unable to stop himself, Jamie pulled his chair forward and grabbed Eddie's hand, squeezing it gently and ignoring the look he got from Danny. "It's okay, Eddie. It's not your fault. None of this is," Jamie assured her, and Danny nodded in agreement.

Eddie swiped her tears away with her free hand. "Anything I can do to help, let me know," Eddie said to Danny. "Did you arrest Dallin?"

Danny nodded, pulling a file folder out that he had tucked beneath his arm. "We did. He's in custody. We finally got him to give up where Brian is known to be staying, but as usual, the bastard is one step ahead of us. He's gone." Danny shook the look of frustration off his face and opened the folder. "Anyway, I brought a screen grab of the surveillance footage from the hallway outside your room. Is this him?"

Jamie and Eddie both peered at the picture Danny was holding, and they both knew immediately. It was grainy and the color was dull and unflattering, but there was no doubt in either of their minds that it was Brian. Eddie's eyes filled with tears again. "It's him. I would know that face anywhere," she said, her voice wavering. Jamie squeezed her hand again and smiled proudly.

"Alright, Eddie. Thank you both," Danny said, and he was smiling, too, probably almost as proud as Jamie was. Eddie was even more brave than either of them realized. "I'll call Baez, let her know we have a positive ID, and we'll go from there."

Jamie and Eddie both thanked Danny profusely and then he was gone, leaving the two alone in the silence.

The next morning

9:02am

By the time Eddie awoke the next morning around 9:00, Jamie had a plan. He had called Danny, and it looked as though Eddie's apartment was more than ready to be moved back into. According to Renzulli, Jamie still had over a week of vacation time left, meaning he had another week to stay with Eddie and try to keep her safe. And knowing that they couldn't go back to his place yet and that Eddie would object to staying with anybody else, it was decided.

They would stay at Eddie's place together.

At first, Eddie was apprehensive. "I'm afraid I'll just be a sitting duck in there, Jamie," she argued, and Jamie could tell she was more scared than irritated.

"Eddie, he can get to you just as easily anywhere. And TARU set up everything you can possibly imagine in your apartment," he explained as a nurse was changing the dressings on Eddie's back. "Window sensors, multiple locks, all sorts of alarms, a panic button... everything. Plus they're putting two armed officers downstairs."

Eddie pursed her lips, probably knowing that her partner had a point. "Did you clear this with Danny?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

Jamie nodded. "I did. He said whenever you're released, we can go straight there."

Eddie nodded but said nothing more. The next two hours passed by in a blur, with few words said between the two of them. Jamie could tell that Eddie's mind was on all kinds of other things, so he didn't push her to talk. Finally, at around 11:30, Dr. Coleman came in to personally deliver Eddie's discharge papers and her prescriptions.

"I'm sending you home with a prescription for Dilantin, which is an anti-seizure medication, as well as Zofran, a corticosteroid, and a diuretic. The diuretic and corticosteroid will reduce the swelling, even though your hematoma is stable," Dr. Coleman explained as Eddie signed her discharge papers. "And Jamie, if she has any symptoms, any at all, bring her to a clinic or to the ER immediately."

Jamie nodded and took the prescriptions that the doctor was holding out to him. "What symptoms specifically do I need to be looking for?"

"Mainly confused or slurred speech, balance problems, inability to walk, nausea or vomiting, and, of course, seizures. And please, for the love of God, don't let her fall again," Dr. Coleman warned, looking from Jamie to Eddie and back to Jamie. "It could be fatal. And keep her out of the cold as much as possible. Her immune system is weakened, so she could get sick very easily."

Jamie nodded, reaching out to shake the doctor's hand, and thanked her. Eddie followed suit, thanking her twice. "It was my pleasure," Dr. Coleman said genuinely. "Please don't hesitate to call the number I gave you. I'm always available."

They thanked the doctor again, and then she was gone. The nurse finished Eddie's dressings and wrapped her cracked wrist up tight in her brace again at the request of Jamie, who had caught her once again cradling it close to her. Chase, the poor nurse that Eddie had flustered like crazy the day before, came up soon with a wheelchair, staring at Eddie so blatantly that it was almost comical. Jamie and Eddie exchanged a smile.

Jamie hooked his hands beneath Eddie's arms and helped her into the wheelchair, gently moving between her and Chase, hoping the guy would get the memo. The female nurse reminded Jamie to change Eddie's dressings every few hours and continue to wake her throughout the night, just in case. Eddie scowled at both Chase and the female nurse, especially as Chase wheeled her downstairs, Jamie close by her side with their packed clothes and toiletries hanging in a bag over his shoulder.

After Eddie was safely tucked in Jamie's car, bundled up in three layers of clothes against the frigid air, Jamie thanked Chase – as much as he didn't want to – and climbed into the car. Both of them felt some of the weight lift off their shoulders as he pulled out of the parking lot.

After picking up Eddie's new medications, they stopped to get something to eat. Jamie was thrilled when Eddie wolfed down half a cheeseburger, making sure to take her nausea medication first. They took the rest of their food back to Eddie's apartment, both of them with mixed emotions swirling inside of them.

As they walked up to the entrance to Eddie's apartment building, they passed two armed officers standing by the doors, and they let themselves feel just a little bit of comfort.

But inside both of them was the thought that those two officers may still not be enough to keep them safe.

And they would be right to think so.