Disclaimer: I don't own anyone.
Rated: M
Warning(s): Slash, Violence, etc.

It was half an hour later that Dolph and Phil found themselves back at Dolph's house, crowded in his tiny first-floor bathroom. Phil narrowed his eyes at the other man. At this point, he didn't care if it was AJ or Dolph that was the mastermind behind all of this… he was certain that all of them were out of their minds. Phil shook his head and went back to his task. He really didn't want to be in a secluded room with the man that had shot him.

Phil squeezed the bottle of arnica until a healthy amount came out onto his hand and he rubbed it onto the bruise. Even with the bullet-proof vest on, the shot had hurt like hell and he was worried about the health of his baby. Once the entire bruise was covered, he screwed the lid back onto the tube and washed his hands. The harsh smell of the ointment was still stuck on his hands and it made him flinch.

And then, he turned on Dolph. The look of utter seriousness on his face made Dolph flinch. He really should have expected what came next. But as he staggered back, frantically holding his stinging cheek, he still felt wave after wave of shock overtake him. Had Phil really hit him? That little bastard! But by the time this whole loop went through his mind, Phil had walked out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

"Phil? Phillip Jack Brooks!" Dolph called after him like an irritated mother. Phil twitched at the motion of his full name. "You can't just think that you can hit me and then walk away."

"Actually, I can. In case you don't remember, you fucking shot me. I think that that trumps a little slap to the face, don't you?" Phil batted his eyelashes innocently, before he rolled his eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry that I shot you. It was what I had to do! But I knew that you were anal and would have your Kevlar vest on. I wouldn't have shot you otherwise, I swear!" Dolph exclaimed.

Phil narrowed his eyes at him. "And what if I didn't? What if I didn't have my vest on?"

"I would have had to take that chance." Dolph said, his eyes lowered to the floor.

"You don't understand it, do you fucker?" Phil asked, irritated. "I'm fucking pregnant. You shot me in the stomach. You could have killed my unborn baby."

Dolph's head shot up and his eyes widened to the size of saucers. "What?"

Phil just shook his head and started to pace. He wasn't in the mood to describe his complicated relationship with Chris, but at the same time, he knew that that was the only way that he could back up his statement about the baby. But really, it wasn't anyone's business but his own! Okay, maybe it was Chris' business too… but he had always tried to keep his personal life out of work. Well, that had been shot to hell. Literally.

Phil stopped pacing and came to stand directly in front of Dolph. Slowly, he allowed all of the stress and tension to wash out of his body. It wouldn't do for him to take it out on Dolph. It really wasn't fair for the blond to take on all of the problems that Phil had in his life. But still, this man… his partner, no less… had fucking shot him! That took all of the trust that they had built over the years and threw it back in his face.

"When I was with Fozzy on security detail, I may have had a small fling with Chris Irvine. I thought it didn't mean anything, I really did. But now I miss him and I don't know what to do." Phil confessed softly.

Dolph's eyes widened even more, if that was at all possible. "So, that's Chris Irvine's baby?"

"Yeah." Phil nodded. But then, an insulted look took over. "How many other men do you think that I've slept with?"

"No. I didn't mean it like that. It's just… you must really love him." Dolph said.

"I don't know if that is necessarily true. I said that I miss him. It's probably just the overflow of hormones, that's all. Don't just jump to insane conclusions… idiot." Phil added for good measure.

"You can call me whatever you want, but I know the truth. I don't hear you saying how much you miss Beth, do I? And she's supposedly your girlfriend." She's also trying to kill you, he added silently.

"I knew that you wouldn't understand. Just don't take anymore unnecessary shots and we'll be fine." But they really weren't 'fine'. They were far from it.

An uncomfortable silence came over them. Dolph took the chance to explain to Phil about how AJ had come back into their lives. He told him how she had crashed into his car and had shot him in the shoulder before she handcuffed him and threw him into the back of her own car. That was when Phil noticed the bloody swatch on Dolph's shoulder with a frustrated frown. He took Dolph by the good arm and threw him down into the nearest chair.

"What the hell am I going to do with you, Dolph? You could have fucking bled out while you were driving! What good would you have done me then?" Phil hissed viciously.

"Well, I'm sorry that I was a little busy saving your ungrateful ass." Dolph rolled his eyes. "You're gonna stitch me up, aren't you?" It wasn't really a question. Phil nodded absently. "I better shut up then."

"If you want this to be as painless as possible," Phil started and watched as Dolph nodded, "then, yes. Shut your trap." And Phil started to work.

Phil sterilized Dolph's shoulder to make sure that there wasn't any infection, before he sterilized the needle and started to work. The bullet hadn't actually become lodged into his shoulder, it had only nicked it. But with no form of sedative of anesthesia whatsoever, Dolph was about ready to take Phil by the hair and throw him across the room. But he refrained. No matter how much it hurt, Phil could make it hurt worse. That was a guarantee.

Just as Phil was finishing up, Dolph's phone started to ring. With his good arm, Dolph reached out for the phone and answered it. It was Cody, his temporary partner until Phil came back to the force. Cody hesitated for a moment before he started to speak. That could only mean a few things. After all, Cody was always one to tell it like it was. He only hesitated when someone died…

"I just wanted to tell you that AJ has been pronounced dead. She was shot down at the gas station." Cody said. "And one of our best officers was pronounced dead at the scene. He was shot in the head execution-style."

"Okay." Dolph said. "We'll be down in few minutes to file a police report."

Phil looked at him oddly. He pulled the needle so that the string was tight in Dolph's wound. He bit the end to cut it and dabbed it with the sterile liquid on the rag. "Who was that?"

"That was Cody. He said that AJ is dead."

Chris closed his eyes as he carried two of his three children into the hotel room. Well, technically he carried all three of them. His little boy was wrapped around his leg, so he had to walk a little awkwardly. With both of his babies in his arms, he must've looked a little odd to anyone who passed him by. He entered into the hotel room and shut the door behind him. That's when his little boy unraveled from around his leg and plopped down on the floor.

"I want Phil!" He pouted. He crossed his little arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at his Daddy. "Why did you take Phil away from us?"

Chris shook his head. He knew that his kids had become attached to Phil, but he hadn't known that it was to this extent. "I didn't take him away, baby. He just had to take a little… vacation. That's all."

"So he'll come back?" His little boy asked. He batted his lashes at Chris imploringly.

"I don't know, baby. I hope that he does. But that is his decision to make. You and I… we can't make it for him." Chris told him honestly. Even if we want him back, we can't force him into a corner. He added silently.

He tucked all of his children into bed and waited by the window. He held his phone close, just in case he would hear from Phil. No call came. Maybe this was really the end. Maybe fate didn't want them to be together. But Chris refused to believe that. He loved Phil too much, and he was certain that this was love, to let him slip out of his hands. He would just have to wait until Phil was ready to admit that he loved him too…