A/N - this is the final chapter of for this story. More than anything, I want to thank you all for reading and reviewing. Hope this lives up to expectations.

Chapter 11

The waiting was killing him. He had left the ER over an hour ago and taken up position outside the Operating Room. Sam was still in surgery. They had been in there an awful long time, he thought, as he checked his watch yet again. Viv was there waiting with him. Together they waited in silence. Words were useless at a time like this. At one stage Viv strolled down the corridor and returned a few minutes later with two cups of sugar-laden coffee. She handed one to Jack, who accepted it gratefully.

Eventually, the doors of the Operating Room opened and a doctor began to come towards them. Jack got to his feet expectantly. He looked into the doctor's face, trying to read his expression.

"Agent Malone?" he asked before divulging any information.

"Yes, how is she?" Jack asked impatiently.

"She's going to be just fine," the doctor said with a broad smile.

Jack released a massive sigh and sat back down as if all his strength had abandoned him. It was the best news he could have hoped for.

"The bullet nicked her lung but managed to cause relatively minor damage after that. She was very lucky, all things considered. Another inch to the left and she may not have walked again. She'll be in a lot of discomfort and will need physical therapy, but she'll be back on her feet in no time," he said happily.

Jack hardly heard a word after "she's going to be just fine". It was all he needed to hear.

"Thank you, doctor," Viv said, realising Jack was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Thirty minutes later, Jack and Viv were sitting at Samantha's bedside waiting for her to wake. They both appreciated how lucky she had been. It could all have ended so differently. They didn't have to wait too long before the effects of the anaesthesia began to wear off.

Jack was the first to notice her fingers move slightly and the occasional flutter of her eyelids. He stood up and leaned over her, smiling. That was the sight that greeted Samantha as she came to, Jack's chocolate brown eyes gazing down lovingly at her, that and the rather unsightly splint that covered his nose.

"Jack?" she slurred, sounding very groggy.

"Yeah, Sam, it's me," he said, kissing her on the forehead.

"I got shot," she announced, as if he didn't know already.

"I know, kid. You're going to be fine though," he reassured her.

"I can't believe you're here," she said to him.

"Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?" he asked.

"I saw what they did to you. I was sure you were dead," she said, gripping his hand tightly.

"Luckily, Viv and Martin found me. I'm fine, a bit sore but I'll live," he told her, giving her hand a slight squeeze.

Viv leaned in and made her presence known with a quick hello. Sam smiled, happy to see her.

"The kids!" she said, suddenly remembering the youngsters who were with her when she was shot. She was getting anxious.

"They're okay," Viv told her. "They're waiting downstairs for their folks."

"They are? That's great," Sam smiled, closing her eyes. She was still feeling drowsy from the anaesthesia. Jack and Viv noticed this and told her to rest. They left her sleeping and went to the cafeteria on Vivian's insistence. It had been a long day and neither of them had eaten in quite some time.

Jack stayed with Sam all that night. Vivian checked into a motel close by. The next morning she had to fly back to New York along with Theo and the Nolan family. Bartlett and Capello were also escorted back for questioning and arraignment. Martin, Danny and Elena were very anxious to know how Samantha was doing and they were very glad to hear that she had a comfortable night and should be out of hospital within a week.

Viv had checked Jack into the motel she had stayed in, despite knowing that he probably wouldn't leave Sam's side. Having seen how he looked at her as she lay in the hospital bed, there was no doubt in her mind that he was still mad about her. Personally, she had no objection to the two of them as a couple. Hell, Danny and Elena were a couple and it didn't affect their work. It was different for Jack and Sam though. He was her boss, which complicated matters. She knew the brass upstairs would have a lot to say if they found out. Anyway, she decided that it was their business and that she would certainly be keeping her nose out of it.

Over the next week, Sam slowly regained her strength and coped with her pain as best she could. It helped having Jack there every day to keep her spirits up. He only left her side after she insisted that he get some rest. He was way past exhausted when she had to almost force him out of her room on the third day. Eventually he relented and went to the motel room that Viv had reserved for him.

He was like a new man when he arrived to see Samantha the following morning. He had obviously taken some time to do some shopping and arrived sporting a new casual shirt and jeans. He also brought Samantha a cute nightshirt and toiletries to make her hospital stay more comfortable. They spent a lot of time together in that hospital room, more than they probably had ever spent together. They talked like they had never talked before. Jack was very forthcoming about his past, about his perceived failures as a husband and father and his hopes for the future. Sam also opened up to Jack. She told him how distraught she was when she believed that he was dead. It was the worst thing she had ever experienced and she was adamant that she never wanted to experience it again.

Jack promised that he would make sure that she never had to go through anything like that again.

"How can you promise that, Jack?" Sam asked seriously. "I mean there are no guarantees in this job."

"Well, maybe there's more to life than this job," Jack said without a hint of a smile.

"Seriously?" Sam asked, unable to tell if he meant it.

"I've had a lot of time to think over the last few days," he told her. "I want you, Sam. Everyday my heart longs for you and if it means having to choose the job or you, it will always be you."

Samantha was stunned. He looked so sweet and yet he was deadly serious. She sat up in the bed and tried to make sense of it.

"Jack, I would never ask you to choose," Sam said with a hint of anxiety.

"I know you wouldn't," Jack replied. "But the regulations do. Sam, I can move; it's no big deal. Life is too short for these silly games. I love you and I think you love me. That's all that should matter," he said, taking her hand in his.

A massive smile spread across Samantha's face. Was she really hearing this? Did Jack Malone just profess his love for her? Her smile soon disappeared and was replaced by a look of astonishment when Jack produced a tiny black box from his pocket. He looked adoringly into her eyes and opened the lid of the box. He raised it on the palm of his hand and offered it to her.

Sam couldn't believe her eyes. Inside was a magnificent platinum ring with a three-diamond setting. Her open mouth went dry, hardly able to believe what was happening.

"Samantha Spade, will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?" he asked, leaning over the side of the hospital bed. Not the most romantic of settings, but hey.

"Jack, I…eh, I don't know what to say," Sam stammered, completely taken aback as Jack slipped the ring onto her finger.

"I was kinda hoping for a 'yes'," Jack smiled.

Sam's heart was leaping in her chest. It was screaming 'listen to me, listen to me'. For once, she decided to listen. It was about time they made a decision based on just the two of them, not Maria, not the kids, not the job… just each other.

"Okay," she smiled with tears forming in her eyes. "Yes, then."

"Really?" Jack asked, not sure he had heard her correctly. He had imagined how this would go and her saying yes so many times over the last few days, he wasn't sure if he was day-dreaming. Had this beautiful creature just accepted his proposal?

"Really," Sam repeated. "Yes!"

Jack leaned in and placed a lustful, passionate kiss on her lips. They both melted into the kiss and the passion intensified. Eventually, Jack pulled away for both their sakes. After all she was recovering from major surgery and much as he wanted to take her there and then, he just managed to control himself.

"Rain check?" he asked, jovially.

"Rain check," Sam panting heavily, reluctantly agreed.

She looked at the ring on her finger and was surprised at how natural it felt there.

She had always thought that committing to someone in this way would freak her out, but it didn't. It felt so right. At that moment, she was the happiest woman on the planet.

Jack lightly took hold of her fingers and raised the back of her hand to his lips and placed the gentlest of kisses on her hand. This was the most nerve-wracking thing he had ever done and it had worked out amazingly well. She said 'yes'. He couldn't believe it. Maybe his luck was changing at last?

THE END

A/N – of course, who can resist a 'happily-ever-after'. Hope it's wrapped up enough for you. I really want to thank you all for your wonderful patience and encouragement. Till next time...adieu!