Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who left a review on the last chapter, I really appreciate it. So I haven't updated in a while for lack of time and so many stories to write for haha but here is the next chapter.
Adam was at his place in a record time without putting his car lights on and he was already packing a bag for himself, cursing as he went along. He couldn't believe that Kim was still against the idea of a patrol detail after what happened to her but he was hell bent on protecting her this time whether she liked it or not. He stuffed enough clothes to last him a few days and after making sure everything was in order at his place, he locked up and headed towards Kim's place. If he knew her like he thought he still did, she'd have a key hidden in plain sight and he wouldn't have trouble getting in. As he predicted, he found a key on the back porch of her place and he let himself in. He didn't really know what she would want but he grabbed a few loose pants and some tops along with some personal effects and he was back on the road towards Med.
"I can't believe him." Kim huffed when she got her bearings back. "I swear he never listens."
"Kim, don't." Nicole didn't want her sister riled up and she knew where Adam was coming from. When she got the phone call that Kim had been shot, she had been worried sick. "He was so worried about you." Nicole pushed a strand out of Kim's face, placing it behind her ear.
"I'm fine Nicole." Kim argued her point.
"I know sis but that man loves you and he was afraid to lose you for good this time."
"I'm not sure It's love just yet Nicole." Kim was trying desperately to have a different relationship with Adam than the last time. She wanted them to get it right and have their forever this time.
"Trust me." Nicole couldn't keep her smile hidden. "He never stopped loving you and he's just trying to show you that he isn't going anywhere this time."
"I don't want him to go anywhere either." Kim smiled too. "But I want us to do things right this time."
"And you will but right now, you need to get your strength back up and let have your back for a change."Nicole kissed Kim's cheek just as the curtain to her room was moved to the side, Dr Rhodes coming with discharge papers.
"Ready to get out of here Kim?" He smirked, trying to keep his eyes on Kim.
"Yeah I'm ready." She swung her legs to the side of the bed and instantly Nicole was at her side.
"And I'll make sure that she listens to doctor's orders." Nicole looked at doctor Rhodes and smiled. "If you haven't figured it out she's stubborn as hell."
"That I've noticed." It wasn't a lie but he also knew that first responders were wired differently and they couldn't stay away for too long. "And what about your car ride?" He handed her the papers to sign.
"It's right here." Adam appeared with a wheelchair.
"Oh no!" Kim scrambled to get on her feet but Nicole stopped her in her tracks.
"We are not doing this Kim." Nicole hissed. She really didn't want to have to get into it with her sister in here. "You are going to play nice and sit in that chair as soon as you get out of this hospital gown and Adam is going to drive us home where you will REST. Clear?" Both men tried to suppress a chuckle but it only got them a death stare from Nicole. Kim only nodded her head in response. "I didn't hear that."
"Copy that." Kim gave up for now, not wanting to cause a scuffle between sisters at the hospital.
"Here's everything." Connor gave Adam an envelop with the instructions and a follow up date with him. "Hope I see you with your star on your hip next time and not as a patient."
"I'll do my best, thanks Connor."
"Anytime. Nicole, Adam." He nodded in their direction and gave Nicole a smile before he left the room. It didn't take very long for Nicole to help Kim in some regular clothes and Adam pushed the wheelchair out and towards the exit.
"Can you take Kim to my truck, I'll be right there." Adam handed Nicole his keys as she smiled at him and she took her sister out while she knew Adam wanted to have a few words with Dr Rhodes,
"Everything okay Adam?" Connor looked up from the chart he was taking care of.
"Yeah, I uh, I just wanted to thank you for saving Kim's life." He extended his hand to Connor.
"I was just doing my job." Connor put his hand in Adam's and shook it. "She's family." He smiled at him.
"I don't know what I would have done without her." He knew he couldn't think like that but he was counting his lucky stars right now.
"Enjoy every second you can." Connor had his own regrets so he knew where Adam was coming from.
"Oh I intend to." Adam smiled at Connor before clapping a hand on his shoulder and making his way outside where Kim was waiting in his truck for him. Nicole had gone ahead to get her house ready for Kim to be comfortable while she stayed.
"Everything okay baby?" Kim asked as she watched Adam drive, knowing something was weighing on him.
"They're better now." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
"We're going to be okay." She smiled at him. "And since we're on the subject." She wanted to know if she had been the only one to notice it. "Nicole." She was about to add more but he interrupted her with a smirk.
"And Connor! Yeah, I saw it too."
"Maybe it's time Nicole finds a good man."
"Kim, don't." He knew what was going on in his girlfriend's head right now and it was bound to end up in disaster.
"What? A little push won't hurt." She giggled as he made a turn on her sister's street, Adam shaking his head at the mere thought of what she was cooking up in her brain.
"Come on, let's get you settled inside." Adam helped her down his car and up the stairs to her sister's place.
Adam let himself in and guided Kim inside, dropping both their bags by the door and walking farther into the living room. He helped her settle on the couch as Nicole came from the hallway beyond the kitchen.
"The guest room is all made up for you sis."
"Thanks Nicole." Kim was catching her breath, the moments of coming from the car to the inside of the house winding her.
"Catch up with your sister darling." Adam stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'll bring your things to the room and give a quick look around the house to make sure everything is okay."
"Adam." Kim groaned. "The house is perfectly fine."
"Kim." Nicole admonished her sister. "He's just making sure you're safe." She patted her knee. "The room is the second door on the left." She told Adam who gave her a smile. He grabbed both bags by the door and went in the direction Nicole gave him. He took the clothes he had brought for Kim and placed them in the dresser on the wall to the left of the bed and placed his in another one before he returned to the front of the house where he found the sisters talking so he made his way outside and proceeded in taking a walk about the building to make sure there were no loopholes. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and called Kevin. It rang a few times before he answered.
"Hey Kev, we just got home to Nicole's and I'm going to stay with them until you catch this son of a bitch." Kevin promised to keep him updated as often as he could without stepping his bound where Voight was concerned and for now that was enough for him. "Thanks brother." He said into the phone before he hung up. He felt better knowing that Atwater had his back and he returned inside as Kim was grilling Nicole about Connor.
"He would be perfect for you Nicole." Kim argued as Nicole turned a brighter shade of red.
"You're insane Kim." Nicole was stuttering lightly and Adam couldn't help but chuckle.
"Is it hot in here or is it just me?" He smirked as he took his spot next to Kim again, prompting Nicole to turn an extra shade of red. "I think it is."
"Cut it out Adam." She seethed. She was being ganged on and rose to her feet and disappeared in the kitchen.
"Maybe that was too much." Adam looked at Nicole's tense body as she walked away.
"It just shows that we weren't wrong. There's something there Adam I know it."
"Don't push her to much babe, maybe she's not ready." He reasoned.
"Maybe you're right." She pondered as Nicole didn't return right away. "Help me up please, I want to talk to her.
"Kim, you should be resting, not walking around."
"I'll be okay and I'll be sitting at the kitchen table the whole time."
"Okay." He gave up and helped her rise from the couch. One hand holding hers and the other around her waist. They walked slowly towards the kitchen where Nicole had her back to them.
"Hey Nic, can we talk?" Kim said softly as Adam helped her sit at the table.
"I'll let you two to talk." He kissed her temple and left the sisters alone to talk.
"I'm sorry about back there." Kim watched Nicole move in the kitchen, her back still to her. "I shouldn't have pressed so much." She sighed.
"I don't think I'm ready to get back out there Kim." Nicole finally turned and looked at her feet, her hands on the counter as she leaned on it.
"Are you still having nightmares?" Kim inquired.
"Sometimes I do but I'm still going to therapy and things are better every day." She said truthfully.
"And the anxiety?" Kim kept in touch regularly with her sister since the attack and she really didn't want to hinder her recovery by pushing her towards Connor Rhodes too soon.
"That's pretty much all gone." She was now able to go out of the house without much though or fear of the people around her. "I'm just not ready yet." She said again, wanting to make sure her sister knew not to push the subject anymore.
"Say no more, I won't bring it up again." Kim shifted in her seat, no longer comfortable in a particular position.
"You shouldn't be sitting so long in the same position." Nicole finally pushed herself from against the counter.
"I'm fine Nicole." Kim waves get off but Adam could see the girls in his line of sight and he got up to help Kim back up and on the couch. "You need to stop hovering Adam." Kim whined.
"And you should have taken the police detail in front of the house." He argued back. "Now you're stuck with my hovering." Nicole could no longer stifle the laughter she was hiding.
"You should have taken the detail little sis." Nicole called from the kitchen where she had returned to getting some food ready.
"Don't feed into his crap Nicole." Kim hissed, to which Nicole laughed again.
"It's for your own good." She called over her shoulder.
"Any news from the unit?" Kim tried to change the subject.
"They won't let me anywhere close to the case." Adam took a seat next to her and helped settle herself comfortably.
"And how's your hand?" She took it in his and he winced.
"I'll live." He pulled it away lightly. "Are you hurting anywhere? Connor gave me some pain meds for you in case you were starting to be uncomfortable."
"I'm okay." She lied but it was written all over her face.
"No you're not, I'll be right back." He went to grab a glass of water from the kitchen just as Nicole was making the plates. "Need some help Nicole?"
"Little." She handed him one plate while he took the glass in his other hand.
"You okay?" He asked her.
"I'm good. Thanks for looking out for her Adam."
"I'd walk through fire for her." He said truthfully.
"You'll be okay." She smiled at him as they made it to the living room. Nicole had done some chicken with vegetables so it would be soft enough for Kim and they ate in comfortable silence, Adam keeping an eye on Kim the whole time. When they were done, Adam could see that Kim was trying hard to stay awake and that's when he decided to get her settled for the night.
"Come on darling, let's get you settled for the night." He wrapped his arm around her waist again and helped her to her feet.
"I'm not tired." She yawned.
"Sure you're not." He chuckled as he guided her to the room. She looked worn out and battered and all he wanted was for her to get a good night of rest. He helped her in bed and it didn't take very long for her to succumb to the sleep. He walked back to find Nicole in the kitchen doing the dishes. "Let me help you." He found a drying cloth and they did the dishes in complete silence.
"Any news from your team?" She handed him the last piece of dish.
"Not yet but my boss has the whole unit on it so they'll find him." He promised her.
"I hope so because I don't want us living in fear."
"And you won't you have my word." He took a step forward and pulled her to him. He and Nicole had never been close in the past and less so after his and Kim's break-up but Kim was family and by extension Nicole and he was here to protect both until Intelligence caught the psycho who had shot Kim. "Why don't you head to bed too, you're exhausted." He pulled away from her and held her at arms length.
"It's been one hell of a day. Thank you Adam, for not giving up."
"Always." He watched her as she took her leave before he went quietly into Kim's room to change for the night. He kissed the top of her head and wakes back in the living room, closing the lights and making sure he locked the front door before he made up the couch with the sheets Nicole had given him. He put his gun under the pillow for safety and closed his eyes, his arms on the back of his head, hoping like hell his team would find the second shooter so they could back to their lives.
A/N: alright so I wanted to settle everyone at Nicole's to show the dynamic they were going to have for a little bit. I really hope you guys liked it and please take a few seconds to review before you go, I always love to read your thoughts. -Sarra