Steve felt every pair of eyes on him, as they entered the bullpen shortly before six.

Dressed in a clean plaid shirt and a black suit, only a slight limp and the cast on his arm served as reminders that their lunch hour hadn't gone exactly to plan.

Noticing all interrogation rooms filled with their respective suspects, Steve felt a sense of accomplishment despite their involuntary detour to the hospital.

Mike had been hovering over him since they left the ER and Steve wondered just how much his accident had traumatized the Lieutenant. He may have spent the time in blissful unconsciousness, but he knew that the sight wouldn't have been a pretty one- and the last thing Mike needed on his mind at the moment.

With a gentle hand on his back, Mike carefully steered him towards his desk. Steve accepted the gesture unconditionally, knowing that it was more to the Lieutenants benefit, than his own.

The pain meds were slowly beginning to wear off, and he could feel his body getting sorer by the minute.

"Steve. It's great to see you up and about."

Scott Sorrensen walked out of the interrogation room containing Chantal, holding several file folders, as a broad smile spread on his lips. Stopping a few feet short of the two detectives, the Sergeant's eyes came to rest on the cast.

"You've got an interesting way to conduct a traffic stop. Maybe leave that to my guys next time before you give your partner a heart attack. And me too…how is that wrist doing? How many stitches did that cut take? That was a bad one."

"Not quite sure.", Steve admitted and looked down at his injured arm, "By the time I fully came back to, the cast was already on…Mike told me what you did after the accident. Thank you, Scott…for everything."

The stocky Sergeant smiled, before gently patting his good shoulder.

"My pleasure, Steve, really. I am glad I was there to help. Even happier to see that they released you right away. I bet you're going to be sore for a few days…You guys have a lot of work ahead with this case. Let me know if I can help in any way."

"We will, Scott.", Mike responded and pointed his chin at the nearby interrogation room, "How has Chantal been holding up? Does she know why she's here? What is your gut feeling on her?"

Sorrensen followed his glance briefly, before shrugging.

"Yeah, she recognized Mavis' parents when I walked her in. She is surprisingly quiet for a teenage girl in that kind of a situation. She asked about Steve, so I told her he was going to be alright. Honestly, I think she's got a crush on him. I was trying to make small talk but she clammed up on me right away. I've pretty much spent the last three hours in there working on my reports while she was staring out the window…If you were to ask me, Mike, I'd say send in your partner and have him bat his eyes and you might get something out of her. But she's definitely leery of the police."

"I already talked to Gerry about that and it's a no-go. Steve is off duty and if anything, he'd be considered under the influence. The testimony could get dismissed in court and we can't take that chance. Whatever that girl knows, I need to get it out of her myself."

Mike rubbed his chin deep in thought, before crossing his arms in front of his chest. Steve watched him for a while and finally cleared his throat.

"I could be your hat carrier. Or a file cabinet. An attractive one at that."

He could see that Mike wanted to glare at him, but his frown quickly turned into a broad smile. Keeping a hand in front of his mouth, the Lieutenants eyes lit up, as he shook his head in amusement.

"Alright, no more pain meds for you.", Mike chuckled, before his expression turned serious again, "We're at least two hours out yet with Chantal. I had Sekulovich call Sandra Orelli to get a CPS guardian up here for the interview, and they won't make it till 8pm."

"I can stay a little longer if you need me to, Mike.", Scott offered, only to watch the Lieutenant shake his head in gratitude.

"No, that's alright Scott. You've done more than enough for one day. It's time for you to go home and get some rest…We've got several guys up here in Homicide that can assist us."

The Sergeant nodded towards the detectives, before grasping his stack of files tighter.

"Alright then. You two take care of yourselves now. This is a horrible situation and I don't envy you for having to deal with it…Steve, hope you feel better soon. Try to get some rest. I'll see you guys around."

Steve waved at Scott, before turning his attention back to his partner.

"Where do you want to start then?"

Mike was just about to answer, when Art Sekulovich appeared at their side, a grim expression on his face.

"Lieutenant, Brett Henderson wants to talk to you immediately. He's complaining about the Johnsons having to spend all day here."

Mike's eyes immediately turned cold, as he clenched his jaws.

"How did they get somebody like Brett Henderson to represent them? That's the last guy I needed to see today."

Pointing over at the nearby interrogation room, he checked his watch, then shrugged.

"Art, tell him I'll be there in 10 minutes. I have to get this girl taken care of first."

Steve sensed his partner's agitation rise to new levels, as Mike pondered about their latest problem. He knew that the Lieutenant had hoped to talk to Chantal first, adding further evidence to build his case against the Johnsons. But without a CPS guardian, any interview would be thrown out in court and considered illegal.

"Alright, here's what we're going to do.", Mike finally said and pointed a finger at Steve's chest, "You get to babysit her until I am done with the Johnsons. See if you can pull her out of her shell a bit. But remember, don't discuss the case. See if you can get some food into her, I am sure she hasn't eaten all day. Maybe you two can share a pizza or something."

Steve nodded and tried to turn towards the interrogation room when Mike held him back by his arm.

"And one last thing. Whether you want to believe Dylan or not, she is still a murder suspect. So far, she's the only one that could have comfortably fit into that pipe and pulled the trigger. So, don't let your heart get in the way of your head, Buddy Boy."