"Danny, sit down," Frank lightly demanded, watching his son pace back and forth.

"I can't sit down! All I wanted was two seconds. Two seconds to tell her it'll be okay and that I love her. Was that too much to ask? What if- what if I never... never see her again?" He wondered quietly, praying that wouldn't be the case.

"You will. I know. She's a tough girl, she'll pull through."

"But what if she doesn't?"

"Danny-" Frank was cut off by the sight of a nurse coming towards them.

Danny stepped up, "what happened? Is she okay?"

"We're operating now. I just thought you'd like to hold onto her jewelry and such?" The nice nurse handed Danny the bag.

He took it and looked inside, "thank you." He took out her rings and slid them half way down his finger. He also took out her pin, and finally sat down, trying to banish thoughts of him as a widower. He barely heard Eddie announce she was getting water for the whole Reagan clan.

Jamie sat down next to his brother, trying to find some words of comfort. Obviously "she's going to be okay" didn't help. "Remember how Mom always said that Linda was your guardian angel?"

Danny nodded, not trusting his voice.

"I think she's right. Linda's obviously your guardian angel... and you still need one. She's not going anywhere."

"All I wanted was two seconds. Was that too much to ask?"

"Danny, you know how vital gun shot wounds are. They gotta get them out right away."

"Here's your water," Eddie handed the devastated detective a water bottle. He took it and immediately set it down. The blonde cop sighed and sat next to her partner.


To Danny, it felt like 166,440 hours went by while he waited for the love of his life. While waiting, to distract himself, he figured out how long he had been married to Linda... in hours. "One hundred sixty six thousand, four hundred and forty hours."

"What?" Baez wondered, confused as to what that number meant.

"166, 440 hours. That's how long I've been married to Linda... roughly."

She nodded, "I-"

"Most of the we're good hours... 210,240 hours. That's how long I've known her."

Another nod, "does figuring x-amount of hours... help?"

"Keeps my mind from going where it wants to."

"And where is that?"

Danny finally looked to her, "worst case scenario... how many hours has it been?"

"Since...?"

"Since they took her away."

"Two."

"Two," he repeated, twirling the pin in his fingers.

"That's good. That's normal."

"Normal, right. If it were normal, we'd be watching tv right about now. One of those '80s detective shows she likes." Danny smiled a little, "Magnum P. I., Simon Simon, Remington Steele, Rip Tide..."

A nurse cane walking up to them, Danny nearly jumping out of his seat. "Is she okay? Can I see her? Is she okay?"

"The first bullet came out from her side beautifully, no complications," the nurse saw the relief in his eyes, which only made the next half of the update harder to say. "The other bullet... well, that one's trickier. We can't move it without irreparable damage."

"Okay... what- what does that mean?" Danny wondered, moving his hands to keep eyes from seeing the visible shaking.

"It means that if we remove that bullet in her back, it could kill her."

"K-kill her?" He swallowed the tearful lump in his throat. "Th... that- that's not... not good."

"We'll leave the bullet in, and with some PT, she'll be just fine."

He nodded, not really registering her words. "Is she gonna wake up soon?"

"Ma-"

"Can I be there when she does?"

The nurse glanced behind him at the commissioner. "I'm not sure-"

"Please? I know Linda. She's gonna be scared if someone she loves isn't there. I'll be good, I promise. Please?"

The nurse saw the desperation, guilt, and fear in the detective's eyes. She stole a glance at Frank once more, who only nodded. "I guess if you stay out of the way, it'd be okay."