Adam dropped her off at school, waving her goodbye from the car and he headed to the hospital. He was honestly surprised at himself, that he managed to keep it together. All his skills as an Undercover Cop came into play, the poker face, the living an alternate reality and making it look like it was normal.

"How is she?" He checked in at the nurse's station when he arrived.

The nurse smiled. "She's had a really good few hours. You only left about six hours ago." She chuckled. "And you've called twice this morning already."

"So sue me." Adam felt a little more relaxed. "So she's good?"

"Kim is doing well. Why don't you go on in." She pointed down the hall. "The Doctors have just started rounds so they should be by soon."

Adam nodded his thanks and took the same lonely trek he'd taken last night, only this time his steps felt lighter and his legs didn't feel like they were weighed down with lead.

Stepping into the warm quiet room not much had changed from last night, but he felt like it had. They told him that the first 24 hours would tell them a lot. They were almost twelve hours in now and the signs, so they assured him, were positive.

He rested his hand on her leg first and then up to her hand and finally rested it on her cheek and kissed her forehead. "Hey Darlin'." He whispered against her cheek. "I'm back and Makayla is at school and can't wait to see you tonight. So let's get this show on the road hey?"

Straightening the sheets he then unpacked a few things, a photo of Makayla, one of her with Makayla which he'd taken a few weeks ago at the park and one of Makayla's trouble dolls. He popped it under her pillow and made a mental note to tell the nurse it was there.

He pulled up the chair that he'd spent hours sitting in last night. The Doctor had come out eventually and told them that she came through the surgery well. "There was some bleeding and we've removed a small clot and I am actually really happy. It wasn't as bad as we were fearing. She is showing some signs of movement already which is positive."

Voight could see that Adam was trying to take it in, he didn't want details he wanted to know if she was going to survive. "So she's going to be okay?"

"I'm hopeful. She's still critical but stable."

"Can I see her?" Adam asked desperately.

He looked around. "You're family?"

"Yes. I'm her family." The Doctor didn't quite believe it but glancing around the room, it was filled with cops and understood that he needed not to ask too many questions. He only allowed Adam in though and he sat beside her, watching every breath she took for four hours.

Adam looked up when the door slid open. "Morning. Back again?"

"Yep."

"I hear we've had a good night?" He stood and listened to the nurse run through Kim's night, not that he had any idea what they were talking about and then moved as the Doctor examined her. Watching her fingers twitch and a slow, low groan was music to his ears. "She's doing well Adam."

They decided to reduce the sedation to increase her level of consciousness after doing another CT scan and MRI. It was going to be a long day and he sat with her until they took her for her scan and by that stage Trudy had arrived to check up on both of them.

"How's Makayla?"

Adam sighed and ran his hands over his face wearily. "I don't know if I am doing the right thing?"

"In what way?"

"I haven't told her. I told her that Kim was working, like we've done that before and she seemed okay but I don't know…." It had eaten away at him. Like he had any idea what the right thing was, his head was telling him it was right to try and keep Makayla out of it until they knew more but his heart was saying something different.

Trudy leant forward and touched his knee so that Adam would look at her. It was hard to get him to drag his eyes off Kim. "No point worrying her just yet. Once we know how the scans look we'll figure it out."

"If I pick her up from school she's going to figure out somethings up?"

"Doesn't she usually go with the babysitter after school. Keep her routine the same and hopefully by then we'll be home and hosed."

He nodded quietly as he reached for his phone when it buzzed. "The Ivory Tower needs to see me." He knew he had to face up and explain the shooting.

"Do you think we'll ever know why?"

"Why what?"

"Why he turned up, why he wanted Burgess there, why he attacked her?"

Adam thought for a moment. "Because he was a psychopath."

"Death by Cop?"

"I don't know. I'm sure he wanted me dead though, beyond that is anyone's guess." Adam shrugged. "Anyway, he's got a slug in his brain and I don't feel any sympathy or remorse. If I had to chose my life or his, I'd chose mine. She's the only one I'd die for."

"Oh that I know."

"Can you stay? Nobody should wake up alone." He looked at Trudy from the corner of his eye to see if she remembered telling him that. She did.

It took a couple of hours and he was kept updated from Trudy while he was gone. He had waited until the scans were done and they were happy with the results so he chose then to leave and deal with the Ivory Tower. While they had eased her sedation it still wasn't a given that she would wake up today and they monitored her closely because at the first sign of increased swelling in her brain they would quickly re-sedate her. So far they had been lucky, nothing had been as bad as they first feared when she was wheeled into the Emergency Department.

"How'd it go?" Trudy looked up from the magazine she was reading when he returned.

"No dramas. It was always a good shoot. I just have to do some de-escalation training because I've had a couple of officer involved shootings this year. Not that they weren't justified but that's the rules."

"Anything else?"

"Nope." Adam reached for Kim's hand and rubbed it gently. "How is she?"

"Sleeping beauty. No change, either way."

He pulled up the spare chair and sat with his elbows resting on the edge of the bed and both his hands on her arm. "That's good I guess."

Trudy eased herself out of the chair and touched his shoulder before she left and reminded him that if he didn't let her know when things changed then he shouldn't bother to come back to work…."ever." He would never die wondering with Trudy Platt.

His eyes were actually closed and he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or imagining things but his eyes shot open when he felt her hand move. It stopped again and he watched her face for any sign of movement and held her hand and reminded her that he was 'right here.'

It was another half hour before she moved again and Adam was up and standing beside her, willing her to open her eyes and it felt like forever but she did, very briefly but Adam saw it. "Oh I saw that. I know you can hear me. I know your still here." Kim squeezed his hand weakly but every tiny sign of progress was encouraging.

Back and forth it went all afternoon, signs of life, periods of quiet. It was frustrating and excruciatingly slow but apparently that wasn't a bad thing according to the nurses who were taking care of Kim. Slow and steady was preferred.

"Adam." If he hadn't been watching her like a hawk he may have missed it she spoke so quietly.

He was up out of the chair. "Hey."

"Mak…" she croaked.

"She's okay, she's at school." Adam assured her. "She will be excited to see you." He reached under her pillow and pulled out the trouble doll. "I'm sure she'll want you to have this." Uncurling her fingers he laid the trouble doll in her palm and closed her fingers around it and covered her clenched hand with his.

"Thank you."

Kim drifted off to sleep again and Adam sat quietly beside her. He sent a message to Trudy, Kevin and Voight to let them know that Kim had woken briefly and talked to him but it was still slow going.

"How long?" she asked him when she opened her eyes and Adam was still sitting beside her bed.

"Just a day."

"Roman?"

"Dead." He responded flatly. "What was he doing here?"

"I don't know, I don't know. He…." Kim stuttered. "…why?"

"I don't know Darlin'." Adam brushed a random tear from her cheek. "He can't hurt you anymore though."

Kim closed her eyes for a few moments and then they flew open again. "He took my gun. Did he…?"

Adam tried to settle her down. She was getting worked up and he knew Roman wasn't worth it and he did not want her to worry or be distressed because he had no idea what that would do to her in her still precarious state. "No, I'm not hurt. All I worried about was you. I'm glad I found you and you are going to be okay and you'll go home and continue to be an amazing Mom to Makayla."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. All you need to worry about is getting better, going home and being the Kim we all love and adore." Adam kissed her forehead. "Okay?"

She nodded and it felt final. It had to be the end of all this.

They still had no idea why Sean Roman came back, what his problem was and why he chose to hurt the one person in this town who cared about him. Adam hated him, with a passion but he had done his best to stay out of his way. Now, he didn't have to care anymore. Roman couldn't hurt them anymore and most importantly he couldn't hurt Kim.

Kevin came in and sat with Kim while Adam slipped out for a while, not that it mattered because Kim had been given some pain relief when she complained of a head ache, which was to be expected. She was likely to suffer from headaches for quite a few weeks. There was a bit of a road ahead of them. The Doctor had been in to check her now that she was awake and all the signs kept getting better and Adam could relax a little.

When she woke he was back, with a very special little visitor on his lap.

He had gone and picked her up from after school care. Everyone had offered to pick her up but he knew that would freak Makayla out. He appreciated that people were trying to help him out and Kevin was the only one who really understood what he was trying to do. He was trying to protect Makayla and it was better coming from him.

They stopped at their favourite ice cream shop and bought sundaes and Adam tried to explain to her that while Kim was hurt and in hospital she was going to be okay and home with her soon. "I know how scared you get sometimes but I also know you are the bravest person I know so let's go and see Kim, tell her how much we love her, okay?" Makayla nodded and he did see the tears in her eyes. "And I gave her one of your trouble dolls and she's hanging onto it, so you ready?"

"Yes." She held Adam's hand all the way from the car to Kim's room and did stop a little at the door. He urged her on and promised to hold her hand the whole time. Kevin gave her a little fist bump when they came in and then left the three of them alone.

Adam talked to her quietly the whole time, explaining what the machines were for, why she had a bandage on her head, and that the nurses and doctors were taking good care of her and Uncle Kevin, Aunt Trudy and Uncle Hank had all been making sure that Kim was never alone.

They were talking quietly and watching a video on Adam's phone when Kim opened her eyes. She watched them for a moment and it gave her some peace then Adam caught her moving from the corner of his eye and smiled. He whispered to Makayla. "I see someone is awake."

"Hi Sweetie." Kim croaked. "It's so good to see you."

Adam pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and helped Makayla climb up so she could get close to Kim. "I love you sweetie." Kim held her hand.

Makayla looked up at Adam and grinned madly before looking back at Kim.

"When can we go home?"

"I'll have to stay a few days." They'd told Kim she would need to stay at least a week, all going well. "But you can come see me every day, promise." She nodded but still seemed a little uncertain.

"I'm gonna stay with Adam?" she asked Kim, her bottom lip shaking a little.

"Yes, is that okay?" She hadn't asked him but she knew he wouldn't say no. He wouldn't say no to her and he definitely wouldn't so no to Makayla. Glancing up at him briefly she noticed that he was smiling and she'd seen that sweet shy smile before. It was when she asked him to be Makayla's guardian. It was always the look he had when he was at his most vulnerable.

"He can live with us now?"

Kim beckoned Makayla in close and whispered, loud enough for Adam to hear. "I really hope so." She looked up at Adam. "I think we'd really like that."

The End.

I did seriously contemplate the alternate ending...but I thought I'd be nice.

Anyway that was just a quick story, thanks for reading. I'll get back to torturing them over in Gypsy now.