The next morning at around 7:30, Emma was sleeping next to Sean when the nurse walked in to check on him one last time before her shift ended. He was wide awake.

She whispered, "Good morning."

He smiled and whispered back, "I hope it's okay that she's with me. I sleep better with her next to me."

The nurse smiled, "How long have you been together?"

Emma woke up but pretended she was still asleep.

"We were together on and off in junior high and high school. We just got together after a long time apart. We have a son together."

"Married?"

"Not yet, but it's heading that way." Sean stroked Emma's hair and said, "I've never loved anyone as much as I love this woman."

The nurse smiled, "That's sweet."

"I feel bad about all this. It terrified her."

"Why do you feel bad? You couldn't help what happened to you." Sean shrugged, and the nurse continued, "You shouldn't feel bad. You're a lucky guy. This could have been a lot worse." Sean nodded, and the nurse asked, "Are you up to eating something?"

"Yes, I'm starving."

"Good. It's not much, just some oatmeal and fruit, but at least it's something. I'll be right back with it."

"Thanks."

Emma stirred and opened her eyes.

"Good morning, gorgeous."

"Hi." She caressed his face, "How are you feeling?"

"Still sore, but I'm okay."

The nurse came back with Sean's food and said, "Good morning," to Emma, who smiled. She asked, "Would you like something to eat? I can probably bring you something."

Emma shook her head, "No, that's okay. I will probably get up and find some coffee." She got off the bed, and the nurse pushed the over-bed table in front of Sean so he could eat.

The nurse looked at Sean and said, "The doctor will be in a little while to look at you and to decide whether or not you can get out of here."

He asked, "Is there a chance I'll be here for another day?"

"You seem okay to me, but he'll be in to do some tests to double-check."

Sean nodded, "Okay."

"Enjoy your breakfast," She looked at Emma, "There's a coffee bar down on the second floor."

"Great, thanks."

The nurse walked out, and Sean said, "She's nice."

Emma smiled.

"You heard us, didn't you?"

"Maybe?"

Sean smiled at her, "Well, I didn't say anything you didn't already know."

"True, but it was nice hearing you say it to someone else." Her phone buzzed. She looked at it and said, "Oh shit. I completely forgot about the appointment I rescheduled for today." She put her hand to her head, "Let me think, maybe there's a way I can get someone else to do it?"

"Em, if you need to go, it's fine."

"But I don't want to leave you."

He smiled at her and said, "Nothing will happen to me while I'm here. What time is the appointment?"

"8:30. The couple wanted an appointment before work."

"So you have time to go home, shower, change, and go."

"But—"

Sean stopped her, "Em, it's fine."

"Okay, I will be back as soon as I can." She handed him his phone, "In case you need to call the guys."

"I do, thanks."

She kissed him and smiled, "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Emma walked out of Sean's hospital room and called her mom.

"Em? Is everything okay?"

"Ugh, I forgot an appointment I had this morning, and I can't reschedule because we already rescheduled." She bashed the button for the elevator. "I'm on my way home to take a quick shower, change, and head out. How's Drew?"

"He didn't want to go to school today, so I'm letting him stay home. Archie was fine with it."

Emma stepped into the elevator, "That's understandable. I should be there in about 15 minutes."

"Okay, see you then."


Sean was finishing his breakfast when Jay and Manny knocked on his door, "Hey, come in. Emma had to leave. She had an appointment she nearly forgot about and couldn't reschedule a second time. She'll be back later."

Jay asked, "And how are you?"

"Sore, and my head still hurts. So what happened with the police?"

"Well, the good news is that the dude only took what was in the safe. He didn't steal any cars. And they got him on video, so at least they know his build and stuff."

"Yeah, I wish I could be more help with that."

Jay exhaled and said, "Dude, I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry I scared you."

"Stop saying you're sorry. What happened to you wasn't your fault." Jay asked, "So when are you blowing this pop stand?"

"The doctor has to come and do some tests, and then they'll decide if I can go home or if I need to stay here."

Manny said, "I hope you get to go home."

Jay looked at him, "Back to Emma's, right?"

Sean nodded.

"Good. So Pete is running the show today."

Sean nodded again, "Good. I should probably call him."

"Don't worry. Everything is under control. I'm heading over in a bit, and this one," Jay pointed at Manny, "Will hang with you until Emma gets back."

"Wait, did Emma tell you to come here?"

Manny smiled and said, "Maybe."

Sean smiled, "Thank you."

Jay said, "Alright, I'm heading to the shop. We'll let you know if we need anything, okay?"

Sean nodded, "Thanks, man."

"No problem." He kissed Manny and walked out.

Sean raised his right eyebrow, and Manny said, "Don't give me that look."

"Okay fine, I won't."


Emma walked into her house, and both Christine and Drew were in the living room. Drew jumped up and asked, "How's dad? When's he coming home?"

Emma smiled, "He's okay. The doctor will see him in a bit and let him know if he can go home." She took off her coat, "I'm sorry I can't stay and talk. I have an appointment I must get to soon. Manny is with Sean at the hospital, and then I will head over there afterward."

Drew asked, "Can I go see him?"

"If the doctors think he needs to stay another day, yes. If not, I'll just be bringing him here."

"Oh, so he'll stay with us while he recovers?"

Emma nodded, "I am going to take care of him." Drew nodded. "And you can help me if you want."

"I do."

"Great." Emma smiled at her son and caressed his face.

Christine asked, "Were you able to eat anything?"

"No, I'll be fine. Okay, I really need to get ready." Emma jogged up the stairs to her bedroom, stripped down, and took one of the fastest showers of her life. As she dried off, she sprayed her hair with some dry shampoo, worked it in, brushed her teeth, then looked for something to wear.

Ten minutes later, she was walking down the stairs, "Okay, I am heading out to this appointment then going over to the hospital to see your dad."

Drew nodded, "Tell him I love him, okay?"

Emma smiled and said, "I will, sweetie." She looked at her mom and said, "Thank you for this. I owe you big time."

Christine shook her head, "Em, don't be silly."

"Okay, I'll see you later."


Archie was talking with Marco Del Rossi in his office.

Marco asked, "My God, is Sean okay?"

"He's still in the hospital. My wife said Drew is too upset to make it in today."

"Poor kid. Well, I wanted to let you know that I gave him an A on his paper about his father."

Archie smiled, "It was that good?"

Marco nodded, "It was. Drew's a good writer when he applies himself. And I let him know yesterday that I expect that level of work for the rest of the term. He didn't look too happy." Archie laughed, and Marco continued, "I think Sean coming into his life is helping him."

Archie nodded and smiled, "I agree."

"Okay," Marco stood up, "I'd better get to my classroom before I walk in to utter chaos."

Archie laughed then said, "Thanks for letting me know about Drew's paper."

"You're welcome. See you later."

Archie's phone rang, and he saw on the caller ID screen that it was Emma. "Em?"

"Hey dad, I just wanted to thank you for letting Drew stay home today."

"I knew he wouldn't be into being here at all while he worried about his dad. How is Sean?"

"He's banged up, dad. He's lucky because it could have been a lot worse."

"How long are they keeping him there?"

"The doctor will administer some tests later this morning, and if all goes well, he'll be able to come home today."

"That's great news!"

"Yep," Emma pulled into a parking spot and said, "Okay, I've made it to my appointment. Thanks again for your help with Drew."

"My pleasure, kiddo."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Emma ended gathered all her paperwork, got out of her car, and walked up to the house. She made it with 10 minutes to spare, which meant she could make sure everything looked suitable for the clients.


The doctor knocked on Sean's door, then walked in, "Hi Sean."

"Hey, doc."

"I'm just going to look at you."

Manny stood up, "I'll be right outside."

Sean nodded.

The doctor looked at his eyes and flashed a light in them, "Good, your eyes are responding well to light."

Sean squinted and laughed, "Yeah."

The doctor also laughed then said, "Follow my finger."

Sean followed the doctor's fingers with his eyes.

"Good. Are you experiencing any dizziness?"

"Nope."

"Nausea?"

"Nope."

"And how's the pain on a scale from 1-10?"

"Right now, about an 8."

The doctor nodded, "Okay, I'll send you home with some stuff that will dull the pain."

"You mean I can go home?"

"Yep, but you need to rest for at least five days. I don't want you back to work until the middle of next week at the earliest." He said, "Lean forward."

Sean leaned forward and said, "I'll do whatever you want me to do, doc."

"Oh, and no washing your hair. You can use regular soap and water to clean the wound, but no shampoos for probably the first three or four days. Doing that would irritate the stitches and I just want to make sure everything heals correctly."

"Okay. That's no problem."

"I'll send you home with bandages and dressings that you can wrap around your head. Do you have someone to help you?"

"Yes."

"Is it the woman who was in here with you just now? Because I can show her what to do."

"Oh, no, that's my partner's best friend. She's just keeping me company until Emma comes back."

"Okay, when I come back with the paperwork, I'll show Emma what to do." The doctor examined his wound and said, "I'll get your discharge papers ready, and you can go home within an hour, an hour and a half."

"That's great, thanks."

"You're welcome. But if the pain doesn't get better after those five days, you must come and see me, okay?"

Sean nodded, "Okay."

"Also, if you suddenly feel dizzy, nauseated, get blurred vision, you must come here because that's a sign that the wound is worse than we thought."

"I got it."

"So let me take care of the administrative stuff so you can get home."

"Thank you."

The doctor shook Sean's hand, then walked out of Sean's room. Manny walked back in, "So what's the verdict?"

"I get to go home."

"That's great!"

Sean nodded, "I can't work or do anything for at least five days. That will suck."

"Oh please, you'll have Emma waiting hand and foot on you, you'll be fine."

"She has to work."

"I'm sure she can fix her schedule and make sure she's home taking care of you."

Sean smiled at her and said, "So."

Manny cocked her head to the side and said, "Yes?"

He asked, "What's going on with you and Hogart?"

"Nothing."

Sean rolled his eyes, "Don't bullshit me."

Manny shrugged, "We're having fun while I'm here."

"You know it's ridiculous that you're not together."

"Sean, I'm in LA, and he's here. How could that possibly work?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that you two seem happier when you're around each other. Don't you think you've wasted enough time?"

"Again, he's here, and I'm in LA. It's not that simple."

He held up his hands, "Okay, I'll stop butting in."

Manny smiled, "I appreciate it. It's nice to know that you care."

"I just want my friends to be happy."


After she finished her appointment, Emma called Manny's phone.

Manny looked at Sean, "It's Em." She answered, "Hey there."

"Hey, I'm on my way back."

"Good, because they're discharging Sean in a little while."

Emma breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, thank goodness."

"Yeah, so get over here."

"I'll be there in 15 minutes."

"Okay."

Manny ended the call, "She'll be here in 15 minutes."

Sean smiled "Good. Not that you weren't good company."

Manny smiled, "I get it." She sat down next to him and asked, "So, when are you asking her to marry you?"

Sean laughed, "When I can get her a ring. She deserves a beautiful ring."

Manny smiled and said, "Okay, well, I can help you with that from LA. You can text me pictures."

"I can also look at her jewelry and see what she likes."

"True. But I think I already have an idea for a ring that would look great on her finger."

Sean raised his right eyebrow, "Oh?"

Manny nodded and started typing on her phone. She swiped a few times and said, "There it is." She held her phone up and showed the picture to Sean. "Something like this."

He smiled and took her phone. He looked at the picture and nodded, "That's perfect." He looked at her and said, "I hope it's not a million dollars."

"Of course not, silly."

Sean said, "I can picture that on her finger. It's gorgeous. You think she'd like it?"

Manny nodded, "Definitely."

"Well, now I'm annoyed that you're leaving before I can go to a jewelry store with you."

Manny smiled and said, "You'll be fine."

Manny and Sean chatted until Emma showed up.

She asked, "Hi! So you get to go home?"

"Yep, but I can't go to work or do much of anything for at least five days."

"So you'll come back to the house, and I will take care of you."

"I feel bad, Em."

"Don't feel bad. I want to help you get better."

"I know but—"

"But nothing. I love you and want to take care of you, okay?"

Sean nodded and smiled, "Okay."

"Where do you think you want to stay? Up in my room or the guest room on the second floor?"

Sean shrugged then said, "I figured I'd just lounge around on the couch in the living room and watch TV all day."

"You can do that in my bed."

"Yeah, but I'd rather be downstairs so we can eat dinner together as a family, and I can hang out with Drew."

Emma nodded, "Okay. Should we stop off at your place and pick things up?"

"Oh yeah, I should grab some clothes I can lie around in all day."

"Okay, we'll do that." She kissed him and said, "I will take such good care of you."

Sean smiled and said, "I know you will."

Manny chimed in and said, "I can help. We can go up to Sean's place and grab his stuff while he stays in the car. Remember, the doctor wants you to take it easy."

"Yes, ma'am."


Emma opened the front door and let Sean step inside. Drew came barreling down the stairs to greet them.

"Hey, buddy."

The sight of Sean's injuries shocked Drew. "Dad, wow."

"I know I looked a lot better the last time you saw me."

Christine walked over and gasped, "Sean, do you need some ice for your face?"

"I'm okay."

Emma closed the door and said, "Do you want to go upstairs, clean up and change into clean clothes?" Sean nodded. "Okay," She looked at Christine and Drew and said, "We'll be right back."

Sean and Emma made it up to her room, and Sean sat down on the bed. "I'm exhausted."

Emma put the bag with his clothes on the floor and said, "Babe, get undressed and take a nap. You'll sleep a lot better here than you could in the hospital."

Sean nodded and took his shirt off. Then he stood up and took off his jeans. He was in his underwear and said, "I'm sleeping like this."

Emma smiled, "That's fine."

He climbed into the bed and lay on his right side. "I apologize in advance if I get any blood on the bedding."

"Don't worry about that, okay?"

"Okay."

She walked around to the other side of the bed and asked, "Do you need anything?"

"No," He yawned, "I'm good."

Emma smiled, "I'll be back to check on you later."

"Thank you."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

When Emma walked downstairs, Drew asked, "Where's dad?"

"He's napping. He didn't get a lot of sleep in the hospital."

"Oh. Okay."

Emma asked, "How are you? I know you worried about him."

"I'm glad he's here, and he's safe."

Emma smiled, "Me too."

Christine walked over, "I have to head to work."

Emma hugged her mom tight and said, "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome. Let me know if you need me again."

"I will."

Christine looked at Drew and said, "Goodbye, kiddo."

"Bye, grandma."

When Christine left, Emma looked at Drew and smiled.

"Why are you smiling at me?"

"I can't smile at my son?"

"I guess."

Emma yawned and said, "I didn't sleep last night, either."

"Maybe you should take a nap too?"

Emma shook her head, "Can't. I have work to do. In fact," She walked over to the computer, "I should check my emails."

Drew asked, "Can I still watch TV?"

"Sure."

Drew sat on the couch, and Emma started looking at some emails on her computer.