The surgeon stepped into the waiting room and looked at the three police officers trying to sleep, unsuccessfully. He'd removed his gloves and mask, and his external gown. Deakins saw him first, jumped to his feet and approached him. He shook Deakins' hand; he had talked to him briefly before he went in to surgery. "How is she, doctor?"

The surgeon's nod was self-satisfied. "She's going to make it. I expected to be in there a lot longer than three hours. She got very lucky. The bullet just missed her heart, and it only did minor damage to one lung. She's stable and breathing on her own. She'll be in the ICU for a day, maybe two, then we can transfer her up to the post-surgical floor. She'll recover fully."

"How long before we can see her?"

"She'll sleep for awhile. Maybe around dinnertime I'll let her have a visitor or two."

"Thank you, doctor. Have you heard anything about my other detective?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not recently. Last I heard it was touch and go. I would guess it'll still be awhile."

"Thank you."

The doctor left and Deakins looked at Logan and Barek. Neither detective said a word. They simply returned to their seats to resume the vigil with their captain.

Mike Logan stretched his legs out in front of him. 'You'd think they'd have comfortable chairs in a surgical waiting room, dammit.' Still unable to get comfortable, his shoulder aching, he got to his feet, pulling a small medicine bottle from his pocket. He walked to the coffee machine and punched "Coffee." Then "Strong." Then "Black." At least the coffee was free. It tasted like shit, but at least he didn't have to pay for crappy coffee. He slipped a pill into his mouth and swallowed it down with the hot, bitter brew. He was glad Eames was going to be ok. As for Goren…he wasn't sure how he felt. Of course, he didn't want the big cop to die. Hell, he found himself wanting nothing more than to see both detectives—the MCS Golden Couple—sitting at their desks, solving the cases no one else wanted to touch.

Carolyn Barek slept fitfully. Her head throbbed, her hip ached…and she woke. The pain was still there. She looked at the clock…not time for another dose of percocet. Damn. She saw her partner standing by the fish tank. Rising, she limped over to him, touched his arm. He looked down at her. Neither of them knew the injured cops well, but the brotherhood of the badge kept them there. They also felt a need to stand by their captain. She let him slide his uninjured arm around her shoulders, and she rested her head against his chest. In silence, they watched the fish.

Exhausted, still bloody in spite of the fact he had removed his outer surgical garments, another surgeon stepped into the waiting room. There were no elective surgeries at this time of the day, so the waiting room was empty, except for three people. He'd been around long enough to recognize them as cops. He coughed

Deakins jumped to his feet and crossed the room, his face lined with worry. Logan and Barek moved to stand behind him. The surgeon let out a long breath. "I really hate nights like this. You are Captain Deakins?"

"Yes. How is he?"

"We're transferring him to intensive care. I wish I could tell you more. We found three bullets, and they did a lot of damage, but his heart remained uninjured by some miracle, and that is probably why he's still alive. His lungs are actually better than we first thought, but that isn't saying a lot. One of the bullets damaged his liver, and that's where a lot of his blood loss came from. So far he's had eleven units of blood, and he's getting another one now. If I were to hazard a guess at his prognosis," he sighed wearily. "If he lives, he will recover. All of his injuries should heal completely, and he should be able to return to work in time. How much time? I don't know. But it all depends on one big 'if,' Captain. If he lives."

They watched the doctor leave the room, and Deakins felt no better. He sighed heavily. "Go home, you two. Get some rest. You were both injured…so when you feel up to it, I'll see you back at work."

Logan frowned. "Who's going to work the case?"

"I'll find someone…"

"Like hell you will." He looked at the clock on the wall. "It's almost 6…damn, it's been a long night!" He shook his head. The shots had been fired just after 10. "Well, I'll see you after lunch."

Barek nodded in agreement with her partner. "See you then," she told the captain.

Deakins watched them cross the room, and Logan turned in the doorway. "If Goren and Eames aren't taking a case from us, no one is."