The three men stayed in the waiting room and remained silent for what felt like hours. All of them were replaying events in their heads and were just hoping for a positive update on Higgins.

TC kept his eye on the ICU door, hoping that either a doctor or a nurse would walk up to them to tell them Higgins will be fine. Rick kept falling asleep, but his friends kept waking him up quietly so the medical staff wouldn't be alerted.

After pacing so much that he wore a path in the carpet, Thomas finally sat down in the chair opposite of Rick. With his feet staying still, Magnum occupied himself by subconsciously opening and closing his fists so tightly that his knuckles kept turning white. Rick and TC watched him carefully for a while, both trying to read his mind.

Eventually, TC had seen enough and wanted his friend to talk rather than having keeping everything bottled up inside. "TM, talk to us man. What's going through your head?"

Shocked into the present, Thomas looked up at TC, giving his best attempt of a facial expression indicating confusion. "What do you mean? I'm just worried about Higgins."

Rick, who had his eyes closed, opened them to look at his friend. "No, there's more to it than that." He squinted his eyes slightly, indicating that he was analyzing his friend. "I know that look. That's the look of guilt."

Before Magnum could argue, TC spoke up. "Imagine that, Orville, you're right."

"Hey, it's been known to happen on occasion," Right joked. Then he looked closely at Thomas, who wouldn't make eye contact. "Tommy here feels guilty."

His lack of argument indicated that Rick was right, and if they were honest, Rick and TC weren't surprised. However, their lack of surprise did not mean they thought Magnum's guilt was deserved.

"Thomas, talk to us," TC encouraged.

Magnum looked at the floor and took a deep breath. "This was all my fault," he muttered.

TC was slightly irritated by this irrational statement, but he was mostly concerned for his friend's mental wellbeing. "Thomas, you weren't even there. You were in custody-"

"That's exactly why it's my fault," Magnum interrupted. "If I would've been there, this wouldn't have happened. Or if it did, it wouldn't have resulted in all of you getting hurt."

Rick spoke up this time. "But you were arrested, there was no way-"

"I shouldn't have been arrested!" Magnum said a little louder than he meant to. "I know being a private investigator gives a lot of people motive to come after me. I should always be ready for it. I should log where I go and when. I should have evidence that I'm innocent of whatever I'm accused of."

TC raised his eyebrows. "Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

"You all were injured because of this. If any of you had died, if Higgins dies…" Magnum started, but he couldn't make himself finish at the moment. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to regain his composure. "Last time I was in a cell, I lost someone I cared about. I can't let it happen again. I don't think I could handle it."

TC and Rick shared a glance. They were finally getting somewhere with what was bothering Thomas. Even though the two of them argued, Rick and TC knew that Higgins and Magnum were closer than either of them ever would admit out loud. Not only that, but the fact that Magnum had lost his mother while they were POWs was making his mind go immediately to the worst-case scenario.

Rick reached forward and grabbed Magnum's forearm, earning a glance from his SEAL friend. "We get it, Thomas, we do. But there wasn't a way for you to predict this would happen, let alone prevent it."

"He's right TM. We know you want to be able to control everything, but you can't. It's not your fault," TC said.

Magnum seemed unconvinced, but he nodded anyway.

Rick took a deep breath. "If this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I was there the whole time and Higgins still got hurt. I guess my military training is a little rusty because I got taken out by only a couple of Russians. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

"Rick, if you weren't there we wouldn't know where Higgins would be or if she'd even still be alive. It's because of you and TC that she made it out of there." Magnum took a shaky breath and stood up. "I need to take a minute. I'll be back."

When Thomas was out of sight, Rick and TC looked at each other with knowing glances. They both knew Thomas too well to not know what was going on: he still blamed himself.

"I can't believe he thinks this is his fault, but at the same time, I can," Rick said.

"Old habits die hard," TC responded. "But we have to imagine being in his shoes: getting falsely accused of a crime, arrested, and when he's released he finds out his friends were in a firefight and in the hospital. Not to mention everything that has happened to him in the past. In TM's mind, the guilt makes sense."

"I guess, but I wish he'd believe us when we tell him nobody thinks it's his fault except him," Rick replied.

"You and me both, Bro," TC said.

Several minutes had passed before Magnum returned to the waiting room wordlessly. He sat in the same chair, put his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his hands in front of him. It only took a few seconds for Rick and TC to notice the cuts and redness on his knuckles. Obviously, Magnum had let out some steam and anxiety before returning to his friends.

Before Rick or TC could say anything, Thomas looked up from his hands and at his friends. "Are you sure you two are okay?"

"We're fine, Thomas," Rick assured. He was touched that Magnum cared about his friends so much, but it also caused Thomas to worry and stress out more than anyone else on the planet, and that's the part Rick didn't appreciate.

Magnum glanced at TC for his response. "I'm fine, Brother."

Thomas sighed and nodded silently in reply.

A moment later, a female doctor walked into the waiting room from the doors leading to the ICU. "Family of Juliet Higgins?"

Thomas and Rick instantly stood up, Rick regretting the speed at which he did. The doctor walked up to the trio of men with a clipboard in her hands and an unreadable expression on her face. The men's hearts were all pounding with anxiety and anticipation.

The doctor smiled. "Ms. Higgins gave us quite a scare, a couple times she actually had to be brought back, but she's a fighter and made it through surgery. She is expected to make a full recovery, but it will be slow. She is recovering in a room as we speak."

Rick and TC sighed in relief, but Thomas held his breath. She had to be brought back? Higgins died on the table multiple times? After getting his breathing back on track, Thomas addressed the doctor. "Can we see her?"

The doctor looked at the three men, considering her answer. "Normally I'd say only one visitor in the room at a time, but as long as you three don't disturb Ms. Higgins, I will agree to let you all see her. But keep in mind that she needs to heal and rest at her own pace."

The men agreed and were taken to Juliet's room. She was the only patient in the room, so Rick, TC, and Magnum were told to make themselves feel at home, as long as it didn't interfere with Juliet's care. When they first stepped into the room, they were stunned with the scene in front of them.