She hated the fact that she was getting used to the sound of the respirator beside his bed. She didn't want to get used to it. She wanted the thing gone, wanted him breathing on his own. She wanted him to recover. But more than anything she wanted to see that lopsided smirk of his, the one he always gave her when he was trying to get out of trouble—the endearing bad boy grin of the mischievous child within the man.

She ran her fingers through the thick mop of hair on his head. Nothing had changed. He was not improving, but he wasn't getting worse either. "Come on, baby," she said, not for the first time. "Breathe for me."

This can't be happening, Ross thought to himself as he walked from his car to the emergency room at NYU. He had another half dozen officers, downed by this sniper. Logan was still fighting for his life, and now he had company. This was a nightmare.

Ethan Carruthers saw the captain enter the emergency room and approached him. Ross held out his hands. "What happened?"

"The shooting stopped, Captain. Everyone came out from under cover and I think half the uniforms there went to try and find the guy. Then the shooting started again."

Ross scrubbed his hands over his face. "How bad is it? Anyone killed?"

"Not yet...but it's bad enough." He hesitated. "Captain...Eames was hit."

Ross stiffened. "How bad? What about Goren?"

Carruthers was surprised. Everyone liked Eames, but he was surprised that the captain, of all people, would be worried about Goren. It was no secret that Goren was a huge headache for Ross...and there was no love lost between them. Carruthers rubbed the back of his neck. He was one of several guys in the squad who had given the quirky genius a chance, and he liked Goren. "They took her up to surgery right away. Um...when she was hit...uh, Goren went down, too. But he...uh, he put himself in between her and the sniper. I'm not sure of the progression...he was hit in the shoulder, and I think that's the one that took him down. He took a couple more hits after that, protecting his partner, they say. Good thing he was vested."

"Where is he?"

"Out cold. When he started coming around, he was so agitated, they had to knock him out again, so he wouldn't hurt himself worse."

"Who else was hit?"

"Sanchez, Rivera, Carson and White. Rivera, Carson and White are already in surgery. Sanchez is almost done over in exam 4."

"Where were you?"

"With a couple of uniforms, heading toward the guy's last position. I swear, captain, either there's more than one shooter or this guy's Spiderman. I haven't had a chance to discuss it with Goren yet. Just tonight, the guy changed locations five times. I don't get it. I talked with Eddie Green and his partner—it's their case. They're stumped. Um...I don't think they'll object to our help."

Ross nodded. "I'll talk to van Buren. Your partner is out of commission at the moment..."

"Um, yeah...and so's Goren's."

"Carruthers, Goren was injured..."

Carruthers laughed, a soft, sad sound. "Do you still not know the guy, Captain? It was bad enough this sniper took out Logan. Now Eames is hurt...badly. There's no force in the universe that's gonna keep that guy off this case."

Ross studied the detective for a moment, then he walked away, toward the nurses' station. Carruthers shook his head and followed him.

The nurses' station was empty as nurses and doctors scrambled to deal with the injured police officers who had inundated their busy emergency room. Ross waited, though not patiently, until a nurse finally made an appearance. "Can I help you?" she asked, trying to sound patient.

He held out his badge. "Captain Ross, from the Major Case Squad. You have several of my detectives here and I want to know how they're doing."

"What are their names?"

"Eames, Goren, Sanchez, White, Rivera and Carson."

She looked at a board. "Detectives Eames, Rivera, White and Carson are already in surgery. Detective Sanchez is getting stitches; we're almost through with him. Detective Goren has been sedated..." She looked at him. "Do you think you can handle him?"

"No. How bad are his injuries?"

"Four broken ribs and a shoulder injury. He'll need to use an immobilizer for a few weeks. They're considering admitting him...he was very agitated when he came to earlier."

Carruthers said, "Detective Eames is his partner."

She turned hopeful eyes toward him. "Do you think you can calm him down?"

"No. But I may know someone who can. Give me fifteen. I'll be back."

"Carolyn."

Barek turned toward the doorway, recognizing the thin man with the sandy hair and rumpled suit. "Ethan...what are you doing here?"

"How is he?"

"Okay. Stable. It's all up to him now."

"Can I borrow you for a few?"

"What happened?"

"There was another shooting."

The color drained from her face. "No..."

"Eames was badly hurt. She's in surgery, and that's all I know." She closed her eyes as he went on. "Goren was hit, too. When he started to come around, he...was a bit agitated. They couldn't calm him down and had to sedate him. Without Eames and Logan around, I'm the closest thing to a friend he's got on the squad and I know I can't handle him. I know you guys were...close...when you worked Major Case. Do you think you can do any good? They want to let him wake up."

Barek struggled to settle herself. First Mike, now Alex and Bobby...her world was disintegrating. She nodded. "I can try, but that's all I'll promise. Bobby is unpredictable. Alex is the only one I know who can handle him."

"All we can ask is that you try."

She leaned over and kissed Logan's forehead. "Bobby and Alex were injured by the same man who did this to you, Mike," she said softly. "Alex is in surgery and I have to go deal with Bobby. I'll be back soon."

She crossed the room and nodded to Carruthers. "Let's go, Ethan."

The sounds and energy of the busy emergency room were left behind as Carruthers pulled the curtain closed in the cubicle. He moved to stand near Ross, off to the side and out of the way. Slowly, Barek advanced to the side of the stretcher across from the doctor who stood waiting. She studied Goren for a long time, noting his pale face, the blood on his pants, the immobilizer that bound his arm to his body. White bandaging encircled his chest and she looked up at the doctor. "Is he hurt badly?"

The doctor glanced at Ross, who nodded. With no one to give consent for the man, medical decisions fell to his captain. The doctor had already gone over the informed consent they had assumed in treating Goren, to save his life and keep him stable. Ross had signed the necessary papers, allowing treatment to continue. "His earlier injury compounded things, but his shoulder was the worst of it. The bullet passed through it from above, to the rear and off to one side, passing beneath the clavicle and damaging an artery. He was shocky from blood loss when he got here, but we were able to control the bleeding and with fluids, he stabilized. He took three additional hits to his back; his vest saved his life. The impact broke four ribs, but they are non-displaced. They'll cause him a lot of pain, but they shouldn't cause any harm. He's not going to be moving quickly for awhile, but he's all right."

From the corner Ross asked, "Are you going to admit him?"

"Only if he gives us a reason...like if we have to keep him sedated."

"How much longer will he be out?" Barek asked.

"He's started coming out of it. It won't be long."

She nodded and returned her attention to Goren. Sliding her hand into his, she gently stroked his arm and waited. As the doctor had predicted, it didn't take long. Goren groaned, muttering his partner's name as he began to toss. "No...no..."

"Shhh..." Barek soothed. "Easy, Bobby..."

His breathing became ragged and he groaned. The doctor stood by with a syringe, ready to use it if he had to, and Carruthers and Ross stood ready to restrain him, if that became necessary. "Eames..." he murmured, and then repeated, "No..."

He was beginning to get agitated and the doctor raised the syringe. Barek motioned him away. Goren started up off the stretcher, but she pushed his shoulders gently back onto the pillow, being careful with the injured one. "Calm down, Bobby."

Ross started forward, but Carruthers grabbed his arm and shook his head at the captain. "He'll hurt her," the captain hissed.

"No, he won't. Give her a chance...and trust Bobby for a change."

Goren's eyes fluttered open and he started to resist her. "No..." he groaned.

"Bobby...look at me...come on..."

His breathing wasn't settling and he was still out of it enough that he didn't recognize her. He continued to struggle and the doctor came forward. "Back off," Barek growled.

Surprised, he lowered the syringe and stepped back. She returned her attention to Goren, smoothing his hair back as she pressed her weight against his uninjured shoulder, keeping him from getting up. "Calm down..." Her gentle voice was soothing. "Come on, Bobby...listen to me...you're not doing anyone any good, least of all Alex...settle down..."

She watched as his eyes slowly cleared. His breathing was still ragged, now driven more by pain than agitation. He groaned deeply. "Carolyn..." he whispered. He stopped fighting her. "Alex...?"

"She's in surgery right now."

He blinked a few times. "Sh-she was bleeding...I...I...tried to stop it..."

"You did a good job, Bobby. She's still alive."

He clenched his hand into a fist, pressing it into his chest, and squeezed his eyes closed. His breathing was still ragged, but it was slower. She watched him tremble as he struggled to control himself. Her hand tightened around his and she lightly stroked his arm again. He tried to take a deep breath, which was followed by a gasp as pain shot up his back and tightened in a band around his chest. He swore, then opened his eyes and looked at her apologetically. "Carolyn..." he said softly. "I...I need..." he trailed off. "I have to check on her," he muttered. "I...I need to...get out of here..."

"First, you need to calm down and listen to the doctor. I'll go check on Alex for you, but you have to behave. I want your word."

He nodded. She helped him sit up and the doctor raised the head of the bed. He leaned back into it and groaned again. He hadn't released her hand. When he saw Ross and Carruthers standing off in the corner, his frown deepened. "Ethan..." he said quietly.

"Hey, pal."

"How bad was she?"

Carruthers hesitated before answering. "She...was hit just below her vest. That's all I know. They stabilized her quickly, which was a good sign, and got her right into surgery. You did a good job before the paramedics got there."

Goren snorted derisively. "Yeah...right...I let her get shot..."

Barek's grip on his hand tightened. "Don't go there, Bobby. You didn't let her die. If she finds out you started blaming yourself, you know what she'll do."

For the first time she saw a spark in his eyes and a smile teased at his mouth. "She'll smack the crap out of me."

"And so will I," she smiled.

Releasing her hand, he met her eyes and held her gaze. Reaching toward her, he touched her cheek and grazed her chin affectionately with his thumb. "Thanks, Carolyn." He adjusted his position and groaned. "Go back...to Mike. I'm all right. I..I'll check on Alex...an-and talk to you later." His eyes shifted toward the doctor. "Give me whatever...for the pain...and let me get out of here."

"And just where do you think you're going, detective?" Ross asked as the doctor stepped away from the stretcher, satisfied that Goren would not need the sedative. He left the cubicle to get something that would help his patient manage his pain.

Goren's eyes narrowed at his captain. "I'm going to check on my partner, and then I'm going to find the son of a bitch who did this to her."

Ross saw the defiant gleam in the big detective's eyes. There was no room for discussion. It didn't matter to Goren what the captain said; he was determined. Ross decided not to waste his time or his energy arguing with the man--not this time. "First of all, be careful. You're walking wounded and I don't need another hospitalized officer. Second, you're working with Carruthers." He looked pointedly at the detective beside him. "Keep an eye on him."

"Don't worry, captain. Maybe you should go check on Sanchez."

Ross looked at his two detectives, and then he looked at Barek. "Thank you," he told her as he pulled the curtain aside to leave. He pointed a finger at Goren. "I do expect you to handle yourself in a professional manner, detective. Don't go off on some vendetta. You're still a cop, regardless of what happens with your partner."

Goren's jaw tightened. Ross had never trusted him; why should he start now? He looked away and Ross left the room. Barek rested a hand on his chest, above his immobilized arm. "Please be careful."

Hesitating a moment, he finally looked at her. Eames and Logan were both badly injured. He didn't have it in him to cause her any further grief. "I'll be fine. Can you trust me at least?"

Her face relaxed into a soft smile. "I always have."

Leaning closer, she kissed his cheek and rested the side of her face against his for a moment. Stepping away, she shifted her gaze to Carruthers, who grinned at her. "We'll be fine, Carolyn. Promise."

She pointed at her former squadmate. "I'm going to hold you to that, Ethan. If anything happens to either of you, I'm coming after you both."

She left the cubicle. The doctor passed her just outside the treatment room. "Thank you very much."

She smiled. "You're welcome. I'll be in the ICU if you need me, but I don't think he'll give you any more trouble."

He nodded and pushed aside the curtain to enter the cubicle.