No injuries or exhaustion in the world could stop Mike from hugging his daughter when Jeannie came barreling through the open door of his hospital room, her cheeks moist from too many tears, her red-rimmed eyes glassy but full of gratitude.
With his good arm, he'd held her tightly against his chest, sharing some of the crippling fear that had been the main theme for the past twelve hours, biting his lip when his own eyes threatened to grow moist.
He even smiled, as Jeannie took inventory of his latest bumps and bruises, pulling him through an intense interview of what happened, where he was hurting and just how dangerous the rescue mission had turned out to be.
Throughout it all, Mike may have lied a time or two, sparing his daughter the grim details that would never see the light of day aside from some random page in the Fed's report on the case, which they had now officially taken over.
He didn't begrudge it much, knowing that the realm of cases far exceeded the county lines of San Francisco, and with it, their jurisdiction.
As it was, backup had arrived barely in the nick of time, and only due to a dedicated coroner who'd put an idea about energy usage into Dewitt's head, allowing for the command to move fast and directly to the source of the problem.
Way too close for comfort, as far as he was concerned.
Thankfully, again, there were only three witnesses left to the mess by now, their corroborating statements helping the Feds to clean this case up, the horrors of that fateful night and everything they witnessed hopefully disappearing in some file cabinet in Washington before too long.
And that was fine by Mike.
A few minutes before Jeannie's arrival, Dewitt had stopped by, informing him that all of Chong's "Adams" had been accounted for, the remaining two dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound as well, undoubtedly due to the mind-washing that had taken place from the side of the manic Korean doctor.
The Lieutenant of Homicide had also once again patiently confirmed that Chong was dead and the lab with all its heart-wrenching displays still very much standing despite some of the traps set in place to discourage entry, simple snares or trip wires that the specialists had easily overcome.
He couldn't help but wonder if Chong's warning about traps in the woods was another lie, aimed to make them proceed slower than usual, put fear into their mind that would cripple their thinking. It definitely wouldn't be the first time.
Why exactly the doctor chose that time to play the cat and mouse game that ultimately ended his reign of terror was another question Mike couldn't answer. Had he allowed his emotions to overpower his common sense for once, letting arrogance rule above logic? Was there some other secret agenda for what happened in the woods, some sinister secret Chong had taken to his grave? At this point, Mike settled on being grateful, knowing that the strange game allowed them to escape a place that had become a death trap for many other people.
The good news was that the fracture in Steve's leg had been a clean one, saving the young Inspector from having to undergo lengthy and complicated surgeries to fix the issue. With optimal recovery, he'd be back in working condition in a few weeks, the same holding true for all of them.
He'd be a fool trying to convince himself that the case hadn't changed him, the sheer scope of human tragedy summed up in a filthy warehouse up north too grand for his mind to fathom quite yet. Mike worried about the families of loved ones who would receive the worst news possible in the not-too-distant future, learning about the horrors their parents or siblings or friends went through before being murdered for no other reason than to serve as a live body experiment for a doctor who'd left his morals and humanity behind a long time ago.
Mike revisited the last time they'd come across Chong, feeling a sense of regret for not being able to stop him when they had the chance but knowing that both timing and the elements had been against them back then as well.
By now Devitt had assured him that papers would be filed to officially charge Willis with accessory after the fact, a bold statement from sides of the DA's Office and the Police, showing in no uncertain terms that financially supporting a killer would result in an arrest and charges. Pushing the issue through the court levels with Willis' probable claim that she didn't know Chong was killing people to prepare for her surgery, although she should have guesses it, would be the deciding factor in the ruling.
With a quiet sigh, Mike glanced down at his battered hands, scratches and bruises running along his fingers, wrists and elbows before disappearing beneath the white hospital shirt and an assortment of tubing and wires that attached him to various machines and IV drips.
The doctor had assured him that he would be here for one night only, making sure that his exposure back in the forest combined with his cracked ribs and battered body wouldn't cause any unexpected side effects that could negatively impact his health before sending him home to recover.
Little did they know that the only thing negatively impacting his health was being away from the warm and cozy bed awaiting him at home, along with a rich cup of coffee and the Sunday paper.
A few minutes ago, he'd sent a loudly protesting Jeannie back to the house in order to grab him a few things, hopefully a sinker or two along the way too. Mike knew that she needed some time to mentally decompress from the fear of nearly losing her father, and that, just like a certain Lieutenant, she'd be unwilling to lower those shields unless she was all alone and able to deal with the difficult emotions in a controlled fashion.
Secretly, Mike hoped it would also give him the chance to charm a nurse into wheeling him over to Steve's room, see if the young Inspector was coming around better yet, or if the hypothermia and pain still kept him too subdued to be fully aware of his surroundings.
Either way, spending time with his best friend after their harrowing escape felt like the first step in the long healing process that laid ahead.