Title: Heartbeat
Author: Dimphy and Barb
Summary: Set present day. While working on a case, Hunter and McCall realize that everything can change in a heartbeat.
San Diego Memorial Hospital one September evening.
A room with beeping machines, a person lying in bed hooked up to them, another person sitting next to the bed holding a hand.
'Please let him be okay. It's not his time yet.' McCall was silently praying while her other hand stroked Hunter's cheek.
A single tear made its way down from her eye to her chin before dropping onto the fresh white sheet.
Her mind wondered back to the weeks leading up to this.
Hunter and McCall were working on a pretty tough case, five jewelry stores were robbed and during the last one the robbers shot and killed the owner who had been doing an overnight inventory.
There was not much to go on, since all the robberies had happened after business hours. The one or two witnesses had given such vague descriptions that Hunter could have been a suspect. They hit a dead end.
McCall noticed this caused a lot of stress with her partner and she got worried. He looked pretty gray around the nose lately but refused to see a doctor for a check up.
"Probably too much chilidogs and not enough sleep. I'll be fine." he had said to her.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 6:00 P.M.
"I'll be fine," he had told her.
She leaned her head back against the uncomfortable hospital chair, barely able to keep her eyes open, even as she remembered him telling her that less than twenty-four hours ago.
She was going to make sure that he was.
They were at the office, working on that damned case and all she had wanted to do was go home and forget about it for awhile. It seemed like it was getting away from them. The robberies, one right after the other was bad enough. These guys were making the police (me and Hunter, she corrected herself glumly) look like inept fools.
And now they had upped the ante - a store owner was dead and they weren't any closer to catching the guys. She could see the effect it was having on him. He had pooh-pooh'd her concern, but something wouldn't let her drop it.
She was really starting to worry about him and for some reason; warning bells were starting to clang, to the point that she was afraid to let him out of her sight.
She had been more than ready to call it quits the previous evening, but Hunter was a pit bull and wasn't going to leave. He was grasping at straws, looking for anything that would get them closer to solving the case.
"You go ahead, partner," he had said, poring over reports, crime scene photos and handling any tips that trickled in.
"I'll be fine." He hadn't looked up.
She stared at him closely. There were tight lines at his eyes and mouth, a fine sheen of perspiration covered his face and she thought that he looked pale.
She sighed and sat back down. No way - she wasn't leaving without him.
So when he had finally decided it was time to go at three in the morning, she had pleaded exhaustion and asked if he would drive her home with the intent of having him stay over. They were supposed to be off and she intended to make sure that he rested, ate properly and she considered calling Beth and having her make a house call.
Hunter's car - 3:00 A.M.
Oblivious to his partner's concern, Hunter drove the familiar route to her home.
So familiar that on one level he had no conscious knowledge of doing it because on another level, something else had captured his full attention.
Pain.
All night it had been a dull, vague ache, across his chest, through to his back. He had stubbornly refused to acknowledge it in any way.
Now, it would not be ignored.
Now it was like a white hot knife starting somewhere in his chest and branching out to his jaw and down his left arm.
Instinctively he gripped the steering wheel more tightly, his breath suddenly coming in short gasps.
McCall was instantly on high alert. "Rick! What is it? What's wrong?"
He couldn't answer. He had just accelerated to merge on the freeway and suddenly everything seemed to swim in front of them, then fall back like they were at the end of a long tunnel.
It was pure survival will that allowed him to fight the darkness that threatened to consume him.
McCall was frantic. It was obvious how much pain he was in.
"Oh my God - Rick!"
She didn't know what she could do.
"Rick - pull over - pull over and let me drive! There's a hospital at the next exit - pull over!"
Hunter's eyes slipped shut.
"Rick!" she shrieked. She yanked off her seatbelt and moved closer to clench his arm in an iron fist.
His body jerked and his eyes snapped open.
Instead of pulling over, instinct told him not to waste any time and he kept driving to the hospital. He broke out in a drenching sweat that dripped in his eyes. He shook his head to clear it, refusing to loosen his grip on the steering wheel.
"Is it your heart? Rick! Is it your heart?"
"Yes." That one word was all he could manage and suddenly he felt the terror of death nearby.
The car left the freeway and he could see the large white sign with red letters indicating EMERGENCY up ahead.
McCall saw cars ahead slowing for a red light. Hunter had no intention of stopping and he vaguely heard McCall cry out as she leaned further in to depress the horn in one long wail.
The darkness was coming back stronger. His steering becoming erratic and McCall attempted to steer for him and saw that they were still going too fast. The ambulance bay was just ahead and Hunter had yet to slow down.
"Rick! Put on the brakes! The brakes - Rick - stop!"
Finally, she took her hands off the wheel to grasp his thigh and literally pull his foot off the gas pedal. Knowing that she couldn't get to the brake, she took the gear shift and threw the car in park.
The noise was deafening - squealing tires, screaming engine and then the car crashing into a parked ambulance.
Hunter was already unconscious; his body slumped forward hitting the horn.
A paramedic who had been leaving the ER had narrowly missed being hit in the collision was at the driver side door in seconds.
He saw that the driver was out and that there was a passenger he hadn't noticed at first. She was slumped over the console, bleeding from a cut over her right eye.
"Help him," she gasped, "he's having a heart attack!" And then she too lost consciousness.
Emergency personnel swarmed.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 6:15 P.M.
So here she sat: twenty stitches and several x-rays later. She hadn't been able to watch the heroic struggle to save her partner's life. Looking at him, lying so very still and pale before her, she saw the evidence of the fierce battle that had been waged against death and won.
For now.
She glanced over at the cardiac monitor. She had seen heartbeats before and while she knew almost nothing about how they should look - she felt that his still looked really different.
One of the nurses explained that it appeared different because of the damage to the heart muscle, but that Hunter was receiving many medications to counteract it and hopefully the monitor would soon reflect that.
They did seem maybe a little different than in the beginning. Was it better?
McCall slumped further in her seat. Her head was really throbbing and she glanced ruefully down at her right arm, now encased in a plaster splint. Two bones had been broken when her arm had twisted awkwardly in the steering wheel during the crash. She was desperate for sleep and her whole body ached.
But it was her heart and soul that dictated her course of action.
She couldn't leave him. She shifted in her seat.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 7.30 PM
McCall woke up with a shock, someone put a hand on he shoulder. It was the nurse, who had come to check on Hunter,
"Isn't it a better idea that you go home and get some rest?"
"No, I'll be fine. I want to stay with him," she answered.
'I'll be fine? Now I'm starting to sound like Hunter,' was the next thing she thought.
"I understand but you look like you could use it. You were pretty shook up in that crash, he's stable and probably not going to wake up any time soon."
Stubborn as always McCall said she was staying so the nurse left. A few minutes later she returned pushing an extra bed and put it next to Hunter's.
"I discussed it with the doctor and he came up with this. You can stay here for the night and get some rest. No arguments this time."
McCall was stunned, "Thank you."
"Well this way we can keep an eye on you, too. You look like you've got one hell of a headache."
"I do," she answered wearily.
The nurse helped her to change into a hospital gown and a few minutes later she was lying in bed.
"You must really love this guy," the nurse said to her before she left.
'Love him?' McCall thought.
At that moment sleep took over and she dozed off.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 7.30 AM
After a rough night McCall was awakened by the nurse. Because of her head injury she had been awakened every two hours during the night. She had to focus for a minute and remember where she was. Searching the room for Hunter she noticed she wasn't in the same room anymore. The nurse left and the doctor entered the room.
"Good to see you awake, how did you sleep?"
"Pretty lousy, why am I in this room?" McCall wasn't feeling like small talk.
"We moved you."
"I can see that. Why?"
The doctor pulled up a chair and sat down; this made McCall's alarm bells go off.
"Lt. Hunter had a crisis during the night. He went into cardiac arrest. We were able to bring him back."
McCall felt the blood drain from her face; the room suddenly went very cold. The doctor continued,
"His heart suffered a lot from the attack and so did the arteries leading to it. We want to operate and do a bypass."
"That will help him?"
"Yes I believe it will. We will replace the damaged arteries and restore the normal blood flow."
"Can I see him now?"
"You can for a minute."
The doctor helped McCall out of bed and walked with her to the ICU room where Hunter was lying. He looked even paler than the day before. McCall took his hand in hers.
"Hang in there Big Guy, please hang in there."
She bent over and gently kissed him on his forehead.
The doctor continued to fill her in on what happened during the night and their plans for this morning as she stood in stunned silence over her unconscious partner.
"We had to perform a cardiac catheterization a few hours ago, sooner than we wanted, but we really didn't have a choice. We know we have to perform surgery, but without doing the cath, we would be flying blind."
McCall shook her head. A mistake she admitted ruefully when the movement brought on a wave of dizziness followed by nausea. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe through it.
The doctor noticed her distress. "Sgt. McCall?" He pulled up a chair and placed his hand at her shoulder, gently guiding her down.
"I'll be okay," she whispered, her voice a bit ragged, grateful for the chair as her legs felt like they would no longer support her. "Just talk to me about Hunter - but slow down a minute with a little less medical jargon. You said a heart cath?"
"We injected dye through a special catheter and took x-rays and videos while the dye traveled through the major vessels of the heart. Without that information, a map if you will, those pictures provide, we don't know exactly which blood vessels are involved and to what extent they are occluded - uh - blocked."
He paused to let her process it, watching as she bit her lip nervously, her eyes darting from Hunter's face to the monitor and back, searching for any flicker of movement.
"I can tell you that two arteries are completely blocked and I know that sounds serious but on the positive side I've reviewed his medical files and he's relatively young and in otherwise good health. And he doesn't smoke and is not a heavy drinker."
He glanced down at his watch. "Dr. Jim Stager is our best cardiac surgeon and he is going over the films and will be in to talk with you before the Lt. goes in."
McCall felt like she was drowning. "I - I thought that you were his doctor." She realized that she didn't even know the man's name.
"You probably don't remember the first time I talked to you last night. You've had a hell of a night."
"And it just keeps getting better," she muttered.
He grinned. "I leave the surgical component to Jim. I'm his cardiologist, Dr. Chris Thornton, and I'll continue in that capacity after the surgery. Lt. Hunter will do fine, I'm sure, but even after surgery we'll be looking at lifestyle changes, diet changes and he'll need cardiac rehabilitation."
At McCall's panicked look, he hastened to reassure her. "Don't worry - it's not as bad as it sounds. We're just going to monitor him and I promise that we'll do everything possible to make sure that he's back on the job as soon as possible. I -"
He was interrupted by the arrival of a woman who looked to be in her early forties. She smiled at McCall. "I don't think I've had a patient quite so difficult to track down before."
McCall stared up at her blankly.
Dr. Thornton stepped in. "Sgt DeeDee McCall, this is Dr. Katherine Boyd, our orthopedic hand specialist. How are you doing, Katie?"
"Fine, Chris, fine."
"Are you going to be looking after the good Sgt here?" When Dr. Boyd nodded, he turned back to McCall, who simply gaped at both of them. "Well, then I'll leave you in her very capable hands. I've got some other patients to round on. Dr. Stager should be here any minute and I'll see you after his surgery."
Then he was gone.
Dr. Boyd move in, taking McCall's injured arm and checking the splint and fingers.
McCall finally found her voice. "What are you talking about? I'm not a patient."
"We need to admit you," Dr. Boyd said calmly, "Right now you're probably dehydrated and the nurses tell me that you haven't eaten or drank anything since last night other than some coffee. The emergency room doctor asked me to review your films and I'm going to advise that we put a couple of pins in."
McCall's eyes widened. "You mean surgery?"
Dr. Boyd smiled sympathetically. "The fracture is too unstable to be left to heal on its own. If you want to keep the function and maximize the healing, yes, we need to do surgery."
McCall was floundering. Everything was moving so quickly that she hadn't even called their boss. Someone needed to take over on the robberies.
She looked back at Hunter. "But - my partner - he's-"
Dr. Boyd sat down. "As I said, I talked with the nurses and I know what's going on. They've got Lt. Hunter scheduled to start in a little less than two hours from now. That's plenty of time for you to talk with Dr. Stager and for us to get you rehydrated as well. I promise you'll be done before your partner. We could wait, I suppose, but this way you'll be finished and out of recovery and you'll be able to be with him without getting taken to the OR just as he's waking up."
McCall liked that Dr. Boyd spoke so positively. She reluctantly nodded her assent. Fixing her arm would take a lot less time than fixing Hunter's heart. She turned back to him and swallowed hard. 'Oh God - what if it couldn't be fixed? What if he didn't make it through?'
Unable to stop the tears, her shoulders shook with silent sobs that she was no longer able to keep at bay.
Dr. Boyd sighed sadly. "Sgt McCall, believe it or not, I know what you're going through. I've sat right where you are now. Twice. My father and my brother."
McCall bit her lip. "And?"
"Dr. Stager worked on both of them." She smiled. "And they're both doing fine. Dad is two years post surgery and my brother seven months."
"Thanks," McCall whispered, managing a grateful smile.
A knock on the door halted further conversation and Dr. Jim Stager entered the room. Tall, with nearly white hair, he nonetheless had a smooth youthful face making it difficult to guess his age. He greeted Dr. Boyd affectionately and inquired about her family.
"They're doing great thanks to you. I've been reassuring Sgt McCall here and singing your praises."
"Thank you, Katherine." He turned to McCall, his face serious. "I understand that Lt. Hunter is your partner. Is there other family I need to talk with as well?"
McCall almost shook her head and thought better of it. "No. Neither one of us has family here in San Diego. I've known Rick for a long, long time and I'll be here for him."
"I see. Well, let me explain what we're going to do. And I've brought a short video to review later."
McCall sat in stunned silence, listening to the man who would literally hold Hunter's heart in his hands. She had a hard time concentrating on what he was describing, terrified by the two main risks: death and stroke. She wanted to focus on the hope of the benefit: getting well.
It sounded so technical and it was. He was going to use the internal thoracic artery as a channel and graft it to the blocked coronary arteries. She barely heard him say it was the vessel of choice as it was the most likely to remain free of plaque and repeat obstruction and significantly improve long-term survival.
He tried to reassure her, but his words didn't seem able to penetrate the fog she felt she was in. She couldn't let go of Hunter's hand, wanting to make sure she remained in constant contact and somehow try to instill some warmth to counter the chill.
"Sgt McCall!!"
She started violently in her seat and realized the doctor was now kneeling beside her.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Stager said; his face full of concern. "I didn't mean to scare you." He was struck by her pallor, that her eyes were glazed and that she was shivering slightly.
"What?" McCall was finding it harder and harder to follow what was being said. 'Why wouldn't Rick open his eyes? If he would just look at her so that she could tell him. Tell him what? Tell him how much he meant to her.'
Dr. Stager had seen enough. He strode out to the nurses station.
Suddenly things began to happen very quickly. McCall was allowed a brief, but emotional good bye before being placed on a gurney and taken to an adjacent room. Dr. Boyd issued orders for an IV to be started and several other diagnostic tests to be done. McCall lay back passively, too exhausted to offer any resistance, her headache giving her no respite.
When she saw Hunter being wheeled off to surgery, she had to close her eyes. She said a silent prayer for him and tried to ignore what was going on around her.
Dr. Boyd noticed. She ordered a mild sedative and analgesic be given as she had fluid rapidly infused to rehydrate her patient prior to taking her to the OR. She, too, said her own prayers for Lt. Hunter and Sgt. McCall.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 9.00 AM
Dr Boyd had been right; she was in and out of surgery before they had finished with Hunter. She came in to check on McCall,
"Good to see you're awake so quickly. How are you feeling?"
"Still a bit light headed, tired and my arm hurts."
"I'll give you something for the pain."
"How's my partner? Have you heard anything?"
"I checked with OR nurses and they told me it will take at least another two hours. Why don't you sleep for a while, and I'll wake you when they are done with him."
"Yeah, maybe I should," she said and closed her eyes.
McCall fell into a restless sleep, dreaming that Dr. Stager came to see her and told her that Hunter hadn't made it through the surgery. It made her wake up crying out, sitting straight up in bed. Dr. Boyd came rushing in.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah I think so, I had a horrible dream," she said while pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger.
"I know it's hard, especially when it's someone you care about. I understand you were with him when this happened?"
"I was; he was driving me home. He hadn't been looking well for a while and something inside me said I had to stay with him. It's a miracle we made it here."
Dr. Boyd nodded in agreement and noticed McCall's facial expression had changed,
"Anything wrong?"
"Our boss, I still haven't talked to him about what happened. He must have half the force looking for us now."
"Don't worry; we filled him in last night. He said he would come by later today."
McCall let out a sigh of relief. At that moment Dr. Stager walked in, greeted Dr. Boyd and turned his attention to McCall,
"How are you Sgt.?"
"Okay, how's my partner?" she came straight to the point.
"Everything went as planned, the operation was successful, he's stable but not out of the woods yet. The best thing for him now is to wake up and do so within the next 24 hours."
"Or else?" the question she was afraid to ask left her mouth before she could stop it.
"He could slip into a coma and eventually die. I know it sounds hard but I don't think it will come that far, he's a strong man."
McCall managed a faint smile, "Yes he is."
"You can see him now and please verbally stimulate him any way you can to wake up."
"I will and thank you."
Dr. Boyd walked with her to Hunter's room; it looked like he had more machines hooked up to him than before. McCall sat down in the chair she was offered and after Dr. Boyd had left she took his hand. The first thing she noticed was how warm it felt and when she looked closely at his face she saw the grayish color had changed into a normal pink. The heart rhythm on the monitor was normal and steady and so was his breathing.
"Rick, I know you can hear me, you are going to be fine but you have to wake up. Please open your eyes."
Gently she kissed his hand and closed her eyes in a prayer,
"Please let him be okay, don't take him now," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "There's so much I have to tell him, I need him, I love him."
Tears started to run down her cheeks on his hand and all of a sudden it was like she felt something, like a squeeze. Or did she imagine it.
McCall opened her eyes and looked at Hunter.
"Don't cry, DeeDee," a hoarse voice spoke in a soft, whispering tone.
DeeDee did a double take, hardly daring to believe her own eyes. She found herself unable to speak, almost drowning in a flood of relief and sheer joy. The sound of his voice almost stopped her own heart and she saw him watching her with a bewildered expression.
"DeeDee?"
Hesitantly he reached out to touch her; his fingers brushing feather light against her cheek. At his touch, she sighed happily. He was noticing the bare stitches along her temple, the resultant black eye, the lines of worry around her eyes and an IV infusing into one arm and a cast on the other.
His brow furrowed as he glanced around the room, filled with the high tech monitoring equipment and multiple IV medications infusing into him as well.
"I guess I'm not dead."
DeeDee didn't know whether to laugh or cry,
"No, Big Guy. You're not," she barely managed to get out.
She bit her traitorous lips that almost blurted "not anymore." Death was too close. Had lingered nearby too long. And her emotions were too raw, too close to the surface, threatening to spill over and overwhelm her.
"Was it my heart?"
Mutely she nodded; still not quite trusting herself to speak anymore than necessary and still clutching his hand to her lips.
Hunter stared intently, focusing on her eyes; filled with tears she stubbornly refused to shed and telling him almost everything he needed to know. Everything, except. . .
"If it was my heart - what happened to you?"
McCall couldn't help but smile sadly. "Long story. I'll tell you about it later."
Hunter hesitated, thought about pressing her, then backed off, seeing that she was utterly exhausted,
"Okay. Fair enough." He moved his hand to touch her chin, forcing her to look at him. "But you're all right now?"
She swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "Absolutely," she said, trying to reassure him and herself. He was alive wasn't he? Talking to her, touching her. What more could she ask for right now?
One of the nurses came in to check her patient and was pleasantly surprised to see him awake.
"How are you feeling?"
Hunter reluctantly dragged his eyes off his partner. It seemed like such a simple question but up until now, he hadn't started to process what had exactly happened to him,
"Okay, I guess - not quite sure what all I missed." He brought his free hand up to his sternum, feeling the large bandages. "Surgery, huh?"
The nurse smiled understandingly. "I think you've got a little catching up to do. I'm going to page Dr. Stager to come and talk with you and let him explain what all he did, all right?"
She looked over at McCall. "Sgt. McCall - I think I should get you back -"
"No." DeeDee broke in, almost desperately. "I'm not leaving him."
The nurse debated whether or not to insist. After all, the woman before her had just had surgery herself, she was pale and drawn, suffering from a head injury and looked like she could slide right out of the chair. The she stared at the two clasped hands and decided to let it go for now. She slipped out.
Hunter returned his gaze to his partner. She was looking right back at him. And in that instant everyone and everything faded away leaving just the two of them.
Hunter stared at her, entranced. The warmth of her brown eyes captured him and drew him to her.
"Hi," she murmured in a breathy voice, basking in the comfort of his gaze that was like a physical caress.
"So," he commented and shifted in bed, wincing in discomfort at the movement. "If I've been having heart surgery, what have you been doing?"
"Oh, you know: this and that. . ." her voice broke, overcome with relief and she couldn't keep up the casual façade. "I thought I was going to lose you." The tears fell at last. She bowed her head and pressed her lips to his palm as the tears coursed down her cheeks.
"It looks like I almost lost you as well," Hunter whispered shakily. "I don't think I could bear that, DeeDee." He felt the wetness on his hand and lifted her chin again.
Reading his face, she was moved to speak. "I love you, Rick," she said, her voice a throaty whisper.
"I'll always love you, DeeDee," he responded with a raw passion that touched her heart and her soul and sent them soaring to new heights.
They broke apart as Dr. Jim Stager knocked quietly and stepped into the room. He took several minutes to do a physical exam, ask him several questions about his health history, explain some of the medications currently infusing, including pain medication, and ask how much he remembered prior to the heart attack.
Hunter admitted that the last thing that he could recall was leaving the office with McCall and he had no memory of arriving at the hospital.
Dr. Stager glanced at McCall who nodded slightly. "You apparently lost consciousness while driving, just as you arrived at the Emergency Room."
Despite the medications, Hunter was definitely sharp enough to put two and two together and still get four. He jerked his gaze back to his partner, who suddenly found her lap extremely interesting.
"Is that what happened? I wrecked the car and nearly got you killed!?"
"Don't Hunter!" Her eyes snapped up. "Don't say it that way! It was an accident. We made it here in time to save your life. That's the ONLY thing that matters! I'm going to be fine." She indicated her head and her cast. "Minor stuff. I've been hurt a lot worse and you know it."
Hunter gave an involuntary shudder. Yes, he remembered with perfect clarity the times that he had seen her hover at the brink of death.
Dr. Stager cleared his throat, regaining their attention, and continued with the complex explanation of Hunter's surgery. He was able to give them hope about recovery but careful to temper their enthusiasm and instruct them to practice patience as well.
He promised to have reading material and videos available but - "Later. I'm going to have to insist that both of you get some rest now."
As one, Hunter and McCall started to protest, but Dr. Stager was adamant, kind, but firm. Brief farewells were allowed and then McCall found herself tucked into a private room on orthopedics and Hunter was sleeping in the Coronary Care Unit.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 14.30 PM
Every time she closed her eyes McCall saw the expression on Hunter's face when he realized he almost killed them both. She saw the terror in his eyes.
There was no time to worry about it anymore; sleep took over her exhausted body. As she drifted between sleeping and being awake she heard Dr. Boyd enter the room with Captain Gallardo. Finally the sleep won.
"She's asleep. If you don't mind, I won't wake her; she was exhausted." Dr. Boyd explained
"That's okay. Could you take me to Lt. Hunter's room then?"
"Sure, follow me."
Hunter was lying awake staring at the ceiling thinking about what he had just found out. He almost got them killed, he almost got the one person he truly loved in his life killed. Sure she was right about her injuries not being too severe but still. Dr. Boyd and Captain Gallardo entering the room interrupted his thoughts.
"You can't stay too long; he needs his rest."
"Okay. Thank you, Doctor."
"I'm feeling fine," Hunter said after Dr. Boyd had left. "It's McCall I'm worried about."
"I just saw her, she was sleeping."
"Good she was exhausted," Hunter sighed.
"You two scared the hell out of me. I almost had half the force looking for you when the hospital called. I'm glad to see you are doing fine."
"Thanks Captain. I wish I knew how long recovery is gonna take."
"Don't worry about that, take the time you need. Your job will still be there."
Thanks Captain I appreciate it."
"I'll come by later this week. Get some rest huh."
"Yeah I will, thanks for coming."
The captain left the room leaving Hunter with his thoughts. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 16.30 PM
McCall checked the hallway to see if the coast was clear. The way to the elevator led past the nurses' station, luckily for her no one was there. As quick as her feet would go she made it to the elevator and got in.
One floor down the doors opened and she got off. Without making much sound she moved along the hallway until she reached her destination.
Hunter was sound asleep when she pulled up a chair and sat by his bedside. It was like he knew she would come because the second she touched his hand his eyes opened and his famous grin appeared.
"Did they let you go or did you sneak out?" he wanted to know.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out," she answered with a mysterious smile playing her lips.
"The boss came to see me. He told me I could come back as soon as I'm ready."
McCall's face turned serious.
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
"According to the Doctor I can go back to a normal life. It will take a while though."
He could tell she didn't like what he was saying,
"DeeDee, look at me please," his hand reached out and lifted her chin up so he could look her straight in the eye. "You know this work is a big part of me. I can't let go just like that. I didn't have anything else until now. I promise you I will take my time and I would like you to help me."
McCall looked at him taking his hand,
"You know I will be there all the way."
She moved closer to him and kissed his lips gently. At that moment Dr. Stager walked in.
Whirling to see who was behind her, McCall instinctively leapt to her feet, forgetting where she was and why she was there.
The concussion reminded her instantly, buckling her knees and forcing her back down in her chair before Dr. Stager or Hunter could react.
"DeeDee!"
"Sgt. McCall!"
Simultaneously they reached for her but she waived them off. "I'm all right. I'm all right. Just moved too quickly." Mortified for getting caught kissing Hunter and then nearly fainting, she was unable to raise her eyes and knew she had turned a blazing shade of red.
Hunter was grinning at her discomfiture once he knew that she was okay and Dr. Stager hastened to reassure her.
"Sgt. McCall, please. Whatever is going on between you and Lt. Hunter is between the two of you."
"Oh, there's nothing going on between us." DeeDee felt like she was about to start babbling and that the heat from her blush could surely be felt across the room.
"Well, not yet, anyway," Hunter piped up helpfully.
McCall jerked her gaze at her partner, trying to determine if he was serious or not. And exactly how would she feel about it if he was?
"Well," Dr. Stager cleared his throat, "I simply came by to let you know that most of your care will be directed by Dr. Thornton now, but don't hesitate to call me if you need anything at all. But it looks like you're going to be just fine." He smiled knowingly.
"I don't know how to thank you enough, Doctor," Hunter said; still smiling, reaching out and the two men shook hands.
"Well," Dr. Stager drawled slyly," You can start by taking extra good care of your partner, here. I think the nurses expect nothing less after all the devotion she has demonstrated."
DeeDee ducked her head again and Hunter was beaming.
Dr. Stager went on. "I think more than a few of them are going to be surprised to find out that you two aren't a couple. Not that it's any of mine, or their business," he hastened to add.
"It's okay, Doc, we were partners for six years and then our lives went in different directions for a while, but we've found our way back together." Hunter looked over at McCall. "And I can't think of anything that will come between us again. Right, partner?"
Now DeeDee was staring at him in rapt disbelief. "Right," she managed weakly.
Dr. Stager fixed McCall with a mock glare. "Wonderful. Then I can tell the nurses that you won't be sneaking out of your room to see the good Lt. here."
And then his eyes were laughing and so was Hunter.
Hunter reached out to cup her cheek, sending a subtle thrill coursing through her at the intimate gesture. "You must be losing your touch. You weren't quite as sneaky as you thought."
"Oh, don't blame her, Lt. The CCU has almost as many monitors as a Vegas casino."
They all shared a hearty laugh and then Dr. Stager returned to medical mode and carefully assessed his work and checked various EKG readings and lab results.
"If you promise not to take advantage, I'll ask the nurses to let you spend more time up here," he told McCall. "But when it's time to go, it's time to go." McCall nodded, meekly, knowing that the staff had been more than lenient and for that she was eternally grateful.
Alone again, Hunter took McCall's good hand in his. For a moment he let his thumb caress the top of her hand, marveling at how silky soft the skin was and stared at her with fresh eyes.
And then it hit him.
All the wasted years that he had let her keep him at arms length. Loving him, obviously, but not letting herself be in love. Not taking that final step to make it a lifetime commitment. And he realized with a dreadful clarity that he had almost died without letting her know exactly what he felt and what he wanted.
"DeeDee."
She looked up at him curiously.
"I'm suddenly finding myself looking back on the roads you and I have traveled to arrive right here at this spot, together. I know we've both been through so much with and without each other. I guess I thought I'd be here forever and just being your partner would be enough. That's a lie. An illusion I created to hold me together."
He looked around the CCU. "It won't work anymore. I need you, your love and nothing else will do. I think we've been given a second chance for a once in a lifetime love. Our love was meant to be - I know that now and I'm not going to take no for an answer," he said earnestly, almost pleading.
McCall stared up at him, her eyes wide and bright with unshed tears that stung her eyes at what he was saying.
She had almost given up, longing for him to say the words she'd waited forever to hear. She knew that she had made the mistake of not letting herself love Hunter because he was a cop. She thought it was easier to love Alex and go away and that she would learn to live with it. So Hunter was gone and it was all so wrong, having underestimated the unrelenting love that she had for him. Foolish pride and fear that he wouldn't want to risk rejection again kept her from telling him how sorry she was.
After all these years it hadn't gotten any easier. Every night that she spent alone now was like an endless flight to try and escape the heartache of not being with him. To have him hold her, wrapping his arms around her and she would remember their one night of passion together and cry for having ever let him go.
"I don't want to say no," she said with conviction.
Hunter gaped at her, seeing that the doubt and uncertainty and fear had faded away, leaving a look on her face he knew that he'd never forget.
Suddenly he felt his heart beginning to race and she felt the change as well.
Hunter pulled himself up, unable to take his eyes off of the woman with a beauty that comes from within and speaking to him with a voice he'd never tire of hearing.
He reached out and pulled her to him, holding her as close as possible and swearing that she would never leave, as he was overcome by the emotions that filled him with desire. "It's always been you, DeeDee. You're always in my heart and soul and mind."
'I don't want to leave, ever," she whispered, suddenly more alive than she'd ever been and more certain. "Hold me."
And he did, whispering words that touched her heart and kissing away her happy tears. "We're meant to be together, McCall. And we're gonna make it work. Being on the force, everything - "
McCall raised her hand to place her fingers against his lips, silencing him. "I know we will."
Outside, the nurses couldn't hear what was being said, but they knew something very powerful had just occurred and while they were loathe to interrupt; both patients needed their rest and there was more they needed to do in the care of their cardiac patient.
This time when medical personnel came in to the room, McCall barely took notice. Remembering her promise to Dr. Stager, she didn't argue about going back to her room and she knew that Hunter definitely needed some sleep.
She sighed in resignation when she saw that a wheelchair had been brought in and decided that the headache and nausea from the concussion wasn't worth risking and allowed her self to sit down in it.
"Guess they don't want you sneaking around anymore, partner," Hunter teased, reluctantly releasing his hold on her and feeling suddenly bereft at the loss of her touch.
McCall allowed herself a smile. "Guess not. Big Brother is watching, you know."
And then she was gone.
Hunter laid back and for some reason the video monitoring system popped into his head. And then the jewelry store robberies.
"Hey! McCall!" he yelled out simultaneously reaching for the call button. "McCall!"
The nurses came in on the run. "Lt. Hunter! Quiet! What is it? What's wrong?"
"Get her back in here!"
"What? No - she's _"
"Get her back! Police business! Now!"
Taken aback, by his tone, one of the nurses hurried out and soon McCall was in front of him, wide-eyed.
"Hunter - what is it? What's going on?"
"The store robberies! They all happened at night and all the surveillance cameras at the stores haven't been able to help us. We never see the getaway car or what they look like outside of their coveralls and masks, right?"
"Yes, but what does that-"
"Look - call Captain Gallardo. Nobody has seen anything at the business nearby since they've been closed, but we haven't checked -their- monitors. They need to check all surroundings businesses, ATM's, anything and see if our boys are on someone else's tapes."
McCall agreed, excited at the prospect of a break in the case. She thought of the poor storeowner who'd had the misfortune to be doing inventory the night his store had been hit and was subsequently killed. Maybe they could finally get these crooks and justice would be served. Suddenly she couldn't get to her room fast enough and get on the phone to Capt. Gallardo.
It turned out to be the break they had prayed for. Capt Gallardo had every available officer canvassing all the neighborhood businesses near the victimized jewelry stores for any available surveillance tapes. Hours were spent viewing tape after tape and they were finally able to get a blurry shot of the getaway van, another showed the model and a partial license plate, another had one of the thieves removing their masks and yet another showed two men tearing off the coveralls. All the hard work had finally paid off and it was only a matter of time before the men were apprehended, Capt. Gallardo happily reported to Hunter and McCall at the hospital a few days later.
"You two are amazing; solving a string of robberies and a murder from a hospital bed."
"What can I say we're a pretty amazing couple." Hunter joked pulling McCall close as she was sitting on the edge of his bed.
"When are they releasing you?"
"I'm out of here, but I'll have to come back for outpatient surgery when it's time for the pins in my wrist to be removed," McCall answered.
"And if everything is going as well as it is now I'm going home by the end of next week," Hunter said. "Recovery is gonna take a while though, but I'll have a great nurse."
"Oh, you did hire the blonde?" McCall said trying to keep a straight face.
They all had a laugh.
"There was something else you wanted to tell me?" Capt. Gallardo said.
"Yes we do," Hunter sat up a little straighter and wrapped his arm around McCall. "We are getting married. This event opened our eyes, so to say. There's always been something, but we were both too afraid to give in to it. I love DeeDee with all my heart and yesterday I asked her to become my wife."
"And I, of course, said yes." McCall pitched in.
"Congratulations, I know you'll be very happy together." He was happy for them, he realized, watching them gaze at each other like love-struck teenagers. He only knew bits and pieces of their history, but it was obvious that they were meant to be together and anyone who waited this long, deserved all the happiness in the world.
"Thanks Captain," they said simultaneously, with another laugh.
"I'd better go now; I still have a squad to run." He shook hands with them and left without looking back.
With the Captain gone, McCall lowered herself next to Hunter on the bed. "Move over a little, will you?"
Carefully he moved over and turned to face her, "Comfortable?"
"Yeah," she murmured, snuggling as close as possible, easier now that he had only one IV, no oxygen tubing and only telemetry leads attached to his chest.
He stared down at her, awed. She was positively glowing. With the back of his hand he caressed her cheek, followed by a soft kiss on her lips, "I love you, Mrs. Hunter."
She just smiled happily, and closed her eyes.
END NOTES: Dimphy and I began working on this at the end of September. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this and was happy how easily my writing flowed, following each part she sent me. She had asked me to correct any medical, but I never had to - she did a great job. She came up with the title and she kicked it off with the first chapter. Thanks Dimphy - let's do this again sometime, okay?
Summary: Set present day. While working on a case, Hunter and McCall realize that everything can change in a heartbeat.
San Diego Memorial Hospital one September evening.
A room with beeping machines, a person lying in bed hooked up to them, another person sitting next to the bed holding a hand.
'Please let him be okay. It's not his time yet.' McCall was silently praying while her other hand stroked Hunter's cheek.
A single tear made its way down from her eye to her chin before dropping onto the fresh white sheet.
Her mind wondered back to the weeks leading up to this.
Hunter and McCall were working on a pretty tough case, five jewelry stores were robbed and during the last one the robbers shot and killed the owner who had been doing an overnight inventory.
There was not much to go on, since all the robberies had happened after business hours. The one or two witnesses had given such vague descriptions that Hunter could have been a suspect. They hit a dead end.
McCall noticed this caused a lot of stress with her partner and she got worried. He looked pretty gray around the nose lately but refused to see a doctor for a check up.
"Probably too much chilidogs and not enough sleep. I'll be fine." he had said to her.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 6:00 P.M.
"I'll be fine," he had told her.
She leaned her head back against the uncomfortable hospital chair, barely able to keep her eyes open, even as she remembered him telling her that less than twenty-four hours ago.
She was going to make sure that he was.
They were at the office, working on that damned case and all she had wanted to do was go home and forget about it for awhile. It seemed like it was getting away from them. The robberies, one right after the other was bad enough. These guys were making the police (me and Hunter, she corrected herself glumly) look like inept fools.
And now they had upped the ante - a store owner was dead and they weren't any closer to catching the guys. She could see the effect it was having on him. He had pooh-pooh'd her concern, but something wouldn't let her drop it.
She was really starting to worry about him and for some reason; warning bells were starting to clang, to the point that she was afraid to let him out of her sight.
She had been more than ready to call it quits the previous evening, but Hunter was a pit bull and wasn't going to leave. He was grasping at straws, looking for anything that would get them closer to solving the case.
"You go ahead, partner," he had said, poring over reports, crime scene photos and handling any tips that trickled in.
"I'll be fine." He hadn't looked up.
She stared at him closely. There were tight lines at his eyes and mouth, a fine sheen of perspiration covered his face and she thought that he looked pale.
She sighed and sat back down. No way - she wasn't leaving without him.
So when he had finally decided it was time to go at three in the morning, she had pleaded exhaustion and asked if he would drive her home with the intent of having him stay over. They were supposed to be off and she intended to make sure that he rested, ate properly and she considered calling Beth and having her make a house call.
Hunter's car - 3:00 A.M.
Oblivious to his partner's concern, Hunter drove the familiar route to her home.
So familiar that on one level he had no conscious knowledge of doing it because on another level, something else had captured his full attention.
Pain.
All night it had been a dull, vague ache, across his chest, through to his back. He had stubbornly refused to acknowledge it in any way.
Now, it would not be ignored.
Now it was like a white hot knife starting somewhere in his chest and branching out to his jaw and down his left arm.
Instinctively he gripped the steering wheel more tightly, his breath suddenly coming in short gasps.
McCall was instantly on high alert. "Rick! What is it? What's wrong?"
He couldn't answer. He had just accelerated to merge on the freeway and suddenly everything seemed to swim in front of them, then fall back like they were at the end of a long tunnel.
It was pure survival will that allowed him to fight the darkness that threatened to consume him.
McCall was frantic. It was obvious how much pain he was in.
"Oh my God - Rick!"
She didn't know what she could do.
"Rick - pull over - pull over and let me drive! There's a hospital at the next exit - pull over!"
Hunter's eyes slipped shut.
"Rick!" she shrieked. She yanked off her seatbelt and moved closer to clench his arm in an iron fist.
His body jerked and his eyes snapped open.
Instead of pulling over, instinct told him not to waste any time and he kept driving to the hospital. He broke out in a drenching sweat that dripped in his eyes. He shook his head to clear it, refusing to loosen his grip on the steering wheel.
"Is it your heart? Rick! Is it your heart?"
"Yes." That one word was all he could manage and suddenly he felt the terror of death nearby.
The car left the freeway and he could see the large white sign with red letters indicating EMERGENCY up ahead.
McCall saw cars ahead slowing for a red light. Hunter had no intention of stopping and he vaguely heard McCall cry out as she leaned further in to depress the horn in one long wail.
The darkness was coming back stronger. His steering becoming erratic and McCall attempted to steer for him and saw that they were still going too fast. The ambulance bay was just ahead and Hunter had yet to slow down.
"Rick! Put on the brakes! The brakes - Rick - stop!"
Finally, she took her hands off the wheel to grasp his thigh and literally pull his foot off the gas pedal. Knowing that she couldn't get to the brake, she took the gear shift and threw the car in park.
The noise was deafening - squealing tires, screaming engine and then the car crashing into a parked ambulance.
Hunter was already unconscious; his body slumped forward hitting the horn.
A paramedic who had been leaving the ER had narrowly missed being hit in the collision was at the driver side door in seconds.
He saw that the driver was out and that there was a passenger he hadn't noticed at first. She was slumped over the console, bleeding from a cut over her right eye.
"Help him," she gasped, "he's having a heart attack!" And then she too lost consciousness.
Emergency personnel swarmed.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 6:15 P.M.
So here she sat: twenty stitches and several x-rays later. She hadn't been able to watch the heroic struggle to save her partner's life. Looking at him, lying so very still and pale before her, she saw the evidence of the fierce battle that had been waged against death and won.
For now.
She glanced over at the cardiac monitor. She had seen heartbeats before and while she knew almost nothing about how they should look - she felt that his still looked really different.
One of the nurses explained that it appeared different because of the damage to the heart muscle, but that Hunter was receiving many medications to counteract it and hopefully the monitor would soon reflect that.
They did seem maybe a little different than in the beginning. Was it better?
McCall slumped further in her seat. Her head was really throbbing and she glanced ruefully down at her right arm, now encased in a plaster splint. Two bones had been broken when her arm had twisted awkwardly in the steering wheel during the crash. She was desperate for sleep and her whole body ached.
But it was her heart and soul that dictated her course of action.
She couldn't leave him. She shifted in her seat.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 7.30 PM
McCall woke up with a shock, someone put a hand on he shoulder. It was the nurse, who had come to check on Hunter,
"Isn't it a better idea that you go home and get some rest?"
"No, I'll be fine. I want to stay with him," she answered.
'I'll be fine? Now I'm starting to sound like Hunter,' was the next thing she thought.
"I understand but you look like you could use it. You were pretty shook up in that crash, he's stable and probably not going to wake up any time soon."
Stubborn as always McCall said she was staying so the nurse left. A few minutes later she returned pushing an extra bed and put it next to Hunter's.
"I discussed it with the doctor and he came up with this. You can stay here for the night and get some rest. No arguments this time."
McCall was stunned, "Thank you."
"Well this way we can keep an eye on you, too. You look like you've got one hell of a headache."
"I do," she answered wearily.
The nurse helped her to change into a hospital gown and a few minutes later she was lying in bed.
"You must really love this guy," the nurse said to her before she left.
'Love him?' McCall thought.
At that moment sleep took over and she dozed off.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 7.30 AM
After a rough night McCall was awakened by the nurse. Because of her head injury she had been awakened every two hours during the night. She had to focus for a minute and remember where she was. Searching the room for Hunter she noticed she wasn't in the same room anymore. The nurse left and the doctor entered the room.
"Good to see you awake, how did you sleep?"
"Pretty lousy, why am I in this room?" McCall wasn't feeling like small talk.
"We moved you."
"I can see that. Why?"
The doctor pulled up a chair and sat down; this made McCall's alarm bells go off.
"Lt. Hunter had a crisis during the night. He went into cardiac arrest. We were able to bring him back."
McCall felt the blood drain from her face; the room suddenly went very cold. The doctor continued,
"His heart suffered a lot from the attack and so did the arteries leading to it. We want to operate and do a bypass."
"That will help him?"
"Yes I believe it will. We will replace the damaged arteries and restore the normal blood flow."
"Can I see him now?"
"You can for a minute."
The doctor helped McCall out of bed and walked with her to the ICU room where Hunter was lying. He looked even paler than the day before. McCall took his hand in hers.
"Hang in there Big Guy, please hang in there."
She bent over and gently kissed him on his forehead.
The doctor continued to fill her in on what happened during the night and their plans for this morning as she stood in stunned silence over her unconscious partner.
"We had to perform a cardiac catheterization a few hours ago, sooner than we wanted, but we really didn't have a choice. We know we have to perform surgery, but without doing the cath, we would be flying blind."
McCall shook her head. A mistake she admitted ruefully when the movement brought on a wave of dizziness followed by nausea. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe through it.
The doctor noticed her distress. "Sgt. McCall?" He pulled up a chair and placed his hand at her shoulder, gently guiding her down.
"I'll be okay," she whispered, her voice a bit ragged, grateful for the chair as her legs felt like they would no longer support her. "Just talk to me about Hunter - but slow down a minute with a little less medical jargon. You said a heart cath?"
"We injected dye through a special catheter and took x-rays and videos while the dye traveled through the major vessels of the heart. Without that information, a map if you will, those pictures provide, we don't know exactly which blood vessels are involved and to what extent they are occluded - uh - blocked."
He paused to let her process it, watching as she bit her lip nervously, her eyes darting from Hunter's face to the monitor and back, searching for any flicker of movement.
"I can tell you that two arteries are completely blocked and I know that sounds serious but on the positive side I've reviewed his medical files and he's relatively young and in otherwise good health. And he doesn't smoke and is not a heavy drinker."
He glanced down at his watch. "Dr. Jim Stager is our best cardiac surgeon and he is going over the films and will be in to talk with you before the Lt. goes in."
McCall felt like she was drowning. "I - I thought that you were his doctor." She realized that she didn't even know the man's name.
"You probably don't remember the first time I talked to you last night. You've had a hell of a night."
"And it just keeps getting better," she muttered.
He grinned. "I leave the surgical component to Jim. I'm his cardiologist, Dr. Chris Thornton, and I'll continue in that capacity after the surgery. Lt. Hunter will do fine, I'm sure, but even after surgery we'll be looking at lifestyle changes, diet changes and he'll need cardiac rehabilitation."
At McCall's panicked look, he hastened to reassure her. "Don't worry - it's not as bad as it sounds. We're just going to monitor him and I promise that we'll do everything possible to make sure that he's back on the job as soon as possible. I -"
He was interrupted by the arrival of a woman who looked to be in her early forties. She smiled at McCall. "I don't think I've had a patient quite so difficult to track down before."
McCall stared up at her blankly.
Dr. Thornton stepped in. "Sgt DeeDee McCall, this is Dr. Katherine Boyd, our orthopedic hand specialist. How are you doing, Katie?"
"Fine, Chris, fine."
"Are you going to be looking after the good Sgt here?" When Dr. Boyd nodded, he turned back to McCall, who simply gaped at both of them. "Well, then I'll leave you in her very capable hands. I've got some other patients to round on. Dr. Stager should be here any minute and I'll see you after his surgery."
Then he was gone.
Dr. Boyd move in, taking McCall's injured arm and checking the splint and fingers.
McCall finally found her voice. "What are you talking about? I'm not a patient."
"We need to admit you," Dr. Boyd said calmly, "Right now you're probably dehydrated and the nurses tell me that you haven't eaten or drank anything since last night other than some coffee. The emergency room doctor asked me to review your films and I'm going to advise that we put a couple of pins in."
McCall's eyes widened. "You mean surgery?"
Dr. Boyd smiled sympathetically. "The fracture is too unstable to be left to heal on its own. If you want to keep the function and maximize the healing, yes, we need to do surgery."
McCall was floundering. Everything was moving so quickly that she hadn't even called their boss. Someone needed to take over on the robberies.
She looked back at Hunter. "But - my partner - he's-"
Dr. Boyd sat down. "As I said, I talked with the nurses and I know what's going on. They've got Lt. Hunter scheduled to start in a little less than two hours from now. That's plenty of time for you to talk with Dr. Stager and for us to get you rehydrated as well. I promise you'll be done before your partner. We could wait, I suppose, but this way you'll be finished and out of recovery and you'll be able to be with him without getting taken to the OR just as he's waking up."
McCall liked that Dr. Boyd spoke so positively. She reluctantly nodded her assent. Fixing her arm would take a lot less time than fixing Hunter's heart. She turned back to him and swallowed hard. 'Oh God - what if it couldn't be fixed? What if he didn't make it through?'
Unable to stop the tears, her shoulders shook with silent sobs that she was no longer able to keep at bay.
Dr. Boyd sighed sadly. "Sgt McCall, believe it or not, I know what you're going through. I've sat right where you are now. Twice. My father and my brother."
McCall bit her lip. "And?"
"Dr. Stager worked on both of them." She smiled. "And they're both doing fine. Dad is two years post surgery and my brother seven months."
"Thanks," McCall whispered, managing a grateful smile.
A knock on the door halted further conversation and Dr. Jim Stager entered the room. Tall, with nearly white hair, he nonetheless had a smooth youthful face making it difficult to guess his age. He greeted Dr. Boyd affectionately and inquired about her family.
"They're doing great thanks to you. I've been reassuring Sgt McCall here and singing your praises."
"Thank you, Katherine." He turned to McCall, his face serious. "I understand that Lt. Hunter is your partner. Is there other family I need to talk with as well?"
McCall almost shook her head and thought better of it. "No. Neither one of us has family here in San Diego. I've known Rick for a long, long time and I'll be here for him."
"I see. Well, let me explain what we're going to do. And I've brought a short video to review later."
McCall sat in stunned silence, listening to the man who would literally hold Hunter's heart in his hands. She had a hard time concentrating on what he was describing, terrified by the two main risks: death and stroke. She wanted to focus on the hope of the benefit: getting well.
It sounded so technical and it was. He was going to use the internal thoracic artery as a channel and graft it to the blocked coronary arteries. She barely heard him say it was the vessel of choice as it was the most likely to remain free of plaque and repeat obstruction and significantly improve long-term survival.
He tried to reassure her, but his words didn't seem able to penetrate the fog she felt she was in. She couldn't let go of Hunter's hand, wanting to make sure she remained in constant contact and somehow try to instill some warmth to counter the chill.
"Sgt McCall!!"
She started violently in her seat and realized the doctor was now kneeling beside her.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Stager said; his face full of concern. "I didn't mean to scare you." He was struck by her pallor, that her eyes were glazed and that she was shivering slightly.
"What?" McCall was finding it harder and harder to follow what was being said. 'Why wouldn't Rick open his eyes? If he would just look at her so that she could tell him. Tell him what? Tell him how much he meant to her.'
Dr. Stager had seen enough. He strode out to the nurses station.
Suddenly things began to happen very quickly. McCall was allowed a brief, but emotional good bye before being placed on a gurney and taken to an adjacent room. Dr. Boyd issued orders for an IV to be started and several other diagnostic tests to be done. McCall lay back passively, too exhausted to offer any resistance, her headache giving her no respite.
When she saw Hunter being wheeled off to surgery, she had to close her eyes. She said a silent prayer for him and tried to ignore what was going on around her.
Dr. Boyd noticed. She ordered a mild sedative and analgesic be given as she had fluid rapidly infused to rehydrate her patient prior to taking her to the OR. She, too, said her own prayers for Lt. Hunter and Sgt. McCall.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 9.00 AM
Dr Boyd had been right; she was in and out of surgery before they had finished with Hunter. She came in to check on McCall,
"Good to see you're awake so quickly. How are you feeling?"
"Still a bit light headed, tired and my arm hurts."
"I'll give you something for the pain."
"How's my partner? Have you heard anything?"
"I checked with OR nurses and they told me it will take at least another two hours. Why don't you sleep for a while, and I'll wake you when they are done with him."
"Yeah, maybe I should," she said and closed her eyes.
McCall fell into a restless sleep, dreaming that Dr. Stager came to see her and told her that Hunter hadn't made it through the surgery. It made her wake up crying out, sitting straight up in bed. Dr. Boyd came rushing in.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah I think so, I had a horrible dream," she said while pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger.
"I know it's hard, especially when it's someone you care about. I understand you were with him when this happened?"
"I was; he was driving me home. He hadn't been looking well for a while and something inside me said I had to stay with him. It's a miracle we made it here."
Dr. Boyd nodded in agreement and noticed McCall's facial expression had changed,
"Anything wrong?"
"Our boss, I still haven't talked to him about what happened. He must have half the force looking for us now."
"Don't worry; we filled him in last night. He said he would come by later today."
McCall let out a sigh of relief. At that moment Dr. Stager walked in, greeted Dr. Boyd and turned his attention to McCall,
"How are you Sgt.?"
"Okay, how's my partner?" she came straight to the point.
"Everything went as planned, the operation was successful, he's stable but not out of the woods yet. The best thing for him now is to wake up and do so within the next 24 hours."
"Or else?" the question she was afraid to ask left her mouth before she could stop it.
"He could slip into a coma and eventually die. I know it sounds hard but I don't think it will come that far, he's a strong man."
McCall managed a faint smile, "Yes he is."
"You can see him now and please verbally stimulate him any way you can to wake up."
"I will and thank you."
Dr. Boyd walked with her to Hunter's room; it looked like he had more machines hooked up to him than before. McCall sat down in the chair she was offered and after Dr. Boyd had left she took his hand. The first thing she noticed was how warm it felt and when she looked closely at his face she saw the grayish color had changed into a normal pink. The heart rhythm on the monitor was normal and steady and so was his breathing.
"Rick, I know you can hear me, you are going to be fine but you have to wake up. Please open your eyes."
Gently she kissed his hand and closed her eyes in a prayer,
"Please let him be okay, don't take him now," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "There's so much I have to tell him, I need him, I love him."
Tears started to run down her cheeks on his hand and all of a sudden it was like she felt something, like a squeeze. Or did she imagine it.
McCall opened her eyes and looked at Hunter.
"Don't cry, DeeDee," a hoarse voice spoke in a soft, whispering tone.
DeeDee did a double take, hardly daring to believe her own eyes. She found herself unable to speak, almost drowning in a flood of relief and sheer joy. The sound of his voice almost stopped her own heart and she saw him watching her with a bewildered expression.
"DeeDee?"
Hesitantly he reached out to touch her; his fingers brushing feather light against her cheek. At his touch, she sighed happily. He was noticing the bare stitches along her temple, the resultant black eye, the lines of worry around her eyes and an IV infusing into one arm and a cast on the other.
His brow furrowed as he glanced around the room, filled with the high tech monitoring equipment and multiple IV medications infusing into him as well.
"I guess I'm not dead."
DeeDee didn't know whether to laugh or cry,
"No, Big Guy. You're not," she barely managed to get out.
She bit her traitorous lips that almost blurted "not anymore." Death was too close. Had lingered nearby too long. And her emotions were too raw, too close to the surface, threatening to spill over and overwhelm her.
"Was it my heart?"
Mutely she nodded; still not quite trusting herself to speak anymore than necessary and still clutching his hand to her lips.
Hunter stared intently, focusing on her eyes; filled with tears she stubbornly refused to shed and telling him almost everything he needed to know. Everything, except. . .
"If it was my heart - what happened to you?"
McCall couldn't help but smile sadly. "Long story. I'll tell you about it later."
Hunter hesitated, thought about pressing her, then backed off, seeing that she was utterly exhausted,
"Okay. Fair enough." He moved his hand to touch her chin, forcing her to look at him. "But you're all right now?"
She swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "Absolutely," she said, trying to reassure him and herself. He was alive wasn't he? Talking to her, touching her. What more could she ask for right now?
One of the nurses came in to check her patient and was pleasantly surprised to see him awake.
"How are you feeling?"
Hunter reluctantly dragged his eyes off his partner. It seemed like such a simple question but up until now, he hadn't started to process what had exactly happened to him,
"Okay, I guess - not quite sure what all I missed." He brought his free hand up to his sternum, feeling the large bandages. "Surgery, huh?"
The nurse smiled understandingly. "I think you've got a little catching up to do. I'm going to page Dr. Stager to come and talk with you and let him explain what all he did, all right?"
She looked over at McCall. "Sgt. McCall - I think I should get you back -"
"No." DeeDee broke in, almost desperately. "I'm not leaving him."
The nurse debated whether or not to insist. After all, the woman before her had just had surgery herself, she was pale and drawn, suffering from a head injury and looked like she could slide right out of the chair. The she stared at the two clasped hands and decided to let it go for now. She slipped out.
Hunter returned his gaze to his partner. She was looking right back at him. And in that instant everyone and everything faded away leaving just the two of them.
Hunter stared at her, entranced. The warmth of her brown eyes captured him and drew him to her.
"Hi," she murmured in a breathy voice, basking in the comfort of his gaze that was like a physical caress.
"So," he commented and shifted in bed, wincing in discomfort at the movement. "If I've been having heart surgery, what have you been doing?"
"Oh, you know: this and that. . ." her voice broke, overcome with relief and she couldn't keep up the casual façade. "I thought I was going to lose you." The tears fell at last. She bowed her head and pressed her lips to his palm as the tears coursed down her cheeks.
"It looks like I almost lost you as well," Hunter whispered shakily. "I don't think I could bear that, DeeDee." He felt the wetness on his hand and lifted her chin again.
Reading his face, she was moved to speak. "I love you, Rick," she said, her voice a throaty whisper.
"I'll always love you, DeeDee," he responded with a raw passion that touched her heart and her soul and sent them soaring to new heights.
They broke apart as Dr. Jim Stager knocked quietly and stepped into the room. He took several minutes to do a physical exam, ask him several questions about his health history, explain some of the medications currently infusing, including pain medication, and ask how much he remembered prior to the heart attack.
Hunter admitted that the last thing that he could recall was leaving the office with McCall and he had no memory of arriving at the hospital.
Dr. Stager glanced at McCall who nodded slightly. "You apparently lost consciousness while driving, just as you arrived at the Emergency Room."
Despite the medications, Hunter was definitely sharp enough to put two and two together and still get four. He jerked his gaze back to his partner, who suddenly found her lap extremely interesting.
"Is that what happened? I wrecked the car and nearly got you killed!?"
"Don't Hunter!" Her eyes snapped up. "Don't say it that way! It was an accident. We made it here in time to save your life. That's the ONLY thing that matters! I'm going to be fine." She indicated her head and her cast. "Minor stuff. I've been hurt a lot worse and you know it."
Hunter gave an involuntary shudder. Yes, he remembered with perfect clarity the times that he had seen her hover at the brink of death.
Dr. Stager cleared his throat, regaining their attention, and continued with the complex explanation of Hunter's surgery. He was able to give them hope about recovery but careful to temper their enthusiasm and instruct them to practice patience as well.
He promised to have reading material and videos available but - "Later. I'm going to have to insist that both of you get some rest now."
As one, Hunter and McCall started to protest, but Dr. Stager was adamant, kind, but firm. Brief farewells were allowed and then McCall found herself tucked into a private room on orthopedics and Hunter was sleeping in the Coronary Care Unit.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 14.30 PM
Every time she closed her eyes McCall saw the expression on Hunter's face when he realized he almost killed them both. She saw the terror in his eyes.
There was no time to worry about it anymore; sleep took over her exhausted body. As she drifted between sleeping and being awake she heard Dr. Boyd enter the room with Captain Gallardo. Finally the sleep won.
"She's asleep. If you don't mind, I won't wake her; she was exhausted." Dr. Boyd explained
"That's okay. Could you take me to Lt. Hunter's room then?"
"Sure, follow me."
Hunter was lying awake staring at the ceiling thinking about what he had just found out. He almost got them killed, he almost got the one person he truly loved in his life killed. Sure she was right about her injuries not being too severe but still. Dr. Boyd and Captain Gallardo entering the room interrupted his thoughts.
"You can't stay too long; he needs his rest."
"Okay. Thank you, Doctor."
"I'm feeling fine," Hunter said after Dr. Boyd had left. "It's McCall I'm worried about."
"I just saw her, she was sleeping."
"Good she was exhausted," Hunter sighed.
"You two scared the hell out of me. I almost had half the force looking for you when the hospital called. I'm glad to see you are doing fine."
"Thanks Captain. I wish I knew how long recovery is gonna take."
"Don't worry about that, take the time you need. Your job will still be there."
Thanks Captain I appreciate it."
"I'll come by later this week. Get some rest huh."
"Yeah I will, thanks for coming."
The captain left the room leaving Hunter with his thoughts. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.
San Diego Memorial Hospital - 16.30 PM
McCall checked the hallway to see if the coast was clear. The way to the elevator led past the nurses' station, luckily for her no one was there. As quick as her feet would go she made it to the elevator and got in.
One floor down the doors opened and she got off. Without making much sound she moved along the hallway until she reached her destination.
Hunter was sound asleep when she pulled up a chair and sat by his bedside. It was like he knew she would come because the second she touched his hand his eyes opened and his famous grin appeared.
"Did they let you go or did you sneak out?" he wanted to know.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out," she answered with a mysterious smile playing her lips.
"The boss came to see me. He told me I could come back as soon as I'm ready."
McCall's face turned serious.
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
"According to the Doctor I can go back to a normal life. It will take a while though."
He could tell she didn't like what he was saying,
"DeeDee, look at me please," his hand reached out and lifted her chin up so he could look her straight in the eye. "You know this work is a big part of me. I can't let go just like that. I didn't have anything else until now. I promise you I will take my time and I would like you to help me."
McCall looked at him taking his hand,
"You know I will be there all the way."
She moved closer to him and kissed his lips gently. At that moment Dr. Stager walked in.
Whirling to see who was behind her, McCall instinctively leapt to her feet, forgetting where she was and why she was there.
The concussion reminded her instantly, buckling her knees and forcing her back down in her chair before Dr. Stager or Hunter could react.
"DeeDee!"
"Sgt. McCall!"
Simultaneously they reached for her but she waived them off. "I'm all right. I'm all right. Just moved too quickly." Mortified for getting caught kissing Hunter and then nearly fainting, she was unable to raise her eyes and knew she had turned a blazing shade of red.
Hunter was grinning at her discomfiture once he knew that she was okay and Dr. Stager hastened to reassure her.
"Sgt. McCall, please. Whatever is going on between you and Lt. Hunter is between the two of you."
"Oh, there's nothing going on between us." DeeDee felt like she was about to start babbling and that the heat from her blush could surely be felt across the room.
"Well, not yet, anyway," Hunter piped up helpfully.
McCall jerked her gaze at her partner, trying to determine if he was serious or not. And exactly how would she feel about it if he was?
"Well," Dr. Stager cleared his throat, "I simply came by to let you know that most of your care will be directed by Dr. Thornton now, but don't hesitate to call me if you need anything at all. But it looks like you're going to be just fine." He smiled knowingly.
"I don't know how to thank you enough, Doctor," Hunter said; still smiling, reaching out and the two men shook hands.
"Well," Dr. Stager drawled slyly," You can start by taking extra good care of your partner, here. I think the nurses expect nothing less after all the devotion she has demonstrated."
DeeDee ducked her head again and Hunter was beaming.
Dr. Stager went on. "I think more than a few of them are going to be surprised to find out that you two aren't a couple. Not that it's any of mine, or their business," he hastened to add.
"It's okay, Doc, we were partners for six years and then our lives went in different directions for a while, but we've found our way back together." Hunter looked over at McCall. "And I can't think of anything that will come between us again. Right, partner?"
Now DeeDee was staring at him in rapt disbelief. "Right," she managed weakly.
Dr. Stager fixed McCall with a mock glare. "Wonderful. Then I can tell the nurses that you won't be sneaking out of your room to see the good Lt. here."
And then his eyes were laughing and so was Hunter.
Hunter reached out to cup her cheek, sending a subtle thrill coursing through her at the intimate gesture. "You must be losing your touch. You weren't quite as sneaky as you thought."
"Oh, don't blame her, Lt. The CCU has almost as many monitors as a Vegas casino."
They all shared a hearty laugh and then Dr. Stager returned to medical mode and carefully assessed his work and checked various EKG readings and lab results.
"If you promise not to take advantage, I'll ask the nurses to let you spend more time up here," he told McCall. "But when it's time to go, it's time to go." McCall nodded, meekly, knowing that the staff had been more than lenient and for that she was eternally grateful.
Alone again, Hunter took McCall's good hand in his. For a moment he let his thumb caress the top of her hand, marveling at how silky soft the skin was and stared at her with fresh eyes.
And then it hit him.
All the wasted years that he had let her keep him at arms length. Loving him, obviously, but not letting herself be in love. Not taking that final step to make it a lifetime commitment. And he realized with a dreadful clarity that he had almost died without letting her know exactly what he felt and what he wanted.
"DeeDee."
She looked up at him curiously.
"I'm suddenly finding myself looking back on the roads you and I have traveled to arrive right here at this spot, together. I know we've both been through so much with and without each other. I guess I thought I'd be here forever and just being your partner would be enough. That's a lie. An illusion I created to hold me together."
He looked around the CCU. "It won't work anymore. I need you, your love and nothing else will do. I think we've been given a second chance for a once in a lifetime love. Our love was meant to be - I know that now and I'm not going to take no for an answer," he said earnestly, almost pleading.
McCall stared up at him, her eyes wide and bright with unshed tears that stung her eyes at what he was saying.
She had almost given up, longing for him to say the words she'd waited forever to hear. She knew that she had made the mistake of not letting herself love Hunter because he was a cop. She thought it was easier to love Alex and go away and that she would learn to live with it. So Hunter was gone and it was all so wrong, having underestimated the unrelenting love that she had for him. Foolish pride and fear that he wouldn't want to risk rejection again kept her from telling him how sorry she was.
After all these years it hadn't gotten any easier. Every night that she spent alone now was like an endless flight to try and escape the heartache of not being with him. To have him hold her, wrapping his arms around her and she would remember their one night of passion together and cry for having ever let him go.
"I don't want to say no," she said with conviction.
Hunter gaped at her, seeing that the doubt and uncertainty and fear had faded away, leaving a look on her face he knew that he'd never forget.
Suddenly he felt his heart beginning to race and she felt the change as well.
Hunter pulled himself up, unable to take his eyes off of the woman with a beauty that comes from within and speaking to him with a voice he'd never tire of hearing.
He reached out and pulled her to him, holding her as close as possible and swearing that she would never leave, as he was overcome by the emotions that filled him with desire. "It's always been you, DeeDee. You're always in my heart and soul and mind."
'I don't want to leave, ever," she whispered, suddenly more alive than she'd ever been and more certain. "Hold me."
And he did, whispering words that touched her heart and kissing away her happy tears. "We're meant to be together, McCall. And we're gonna make it work. Being on the force, everything - "
McCall raised her hand to place her fingers against his lips, silencing him. "I know we will."
Outside, the nurses couldn't hear what was being said, but they knew something very powerful had just occurred and while they were loathe to interrupt; both patients needed their rest and there was more they needed to do in the care of their cardiac patient.
This time when medical personnel came in to the room, McCall barely took notice. Remembering her promise to Dr. Stager, she didn't argue about going back to her room and she knew that Hunter definitely needed some sleep.
She sighed in resignation when she saw that a wheelchair had been brought in and decided that the headache and nausea from the concussion wasn't worth risking and allowed her self to sit down in it.
"Guess they don't want you sneaking around anymore, partner," Hunter teased, reluctantly releasing his hold on her and feeling suddenly bereft at the loss of her touch.
McCall allowed herself a smile. "Guess not. Big Brother is watching, you know."
And then she was gone.
Hunter laid back and for some reason the video monitoring system popped into his head. And then the jewelry store robberies.
"Hey! McCall!" he yelled out simultaneously reaching for the call button. "McCall!"
The nurses came in on the run. "Lt. Hunter! Quiet! What is it? What's wrong?"
"Get her back in here!"
"What? No - she's _"
"Get her back! Police business! Now!"
Taken aback, by his tone, one of the nurses hurried out and soon McCall was in front of him, wide-eyed.
"Hunter - what is it? What's going on?"
"The store robberies! They all happened at night and all the surveillance cameras at the stores haven't been able to help us. We never see the getaway car or what they look like outside of their coveralls and masks, right?"
"Yes, but what does that-"
"Look - call Captain Gallardo. Nobody has seen anything at the business nearby since they've been closed, but we haven't checked -their- monitors. They need to check all surroundings businesses, ATM's, anything and see if our boys are on someone else's tapes."
McCall agreed, excited at the prospect of a break in the case. She thought of the poor storeowner who'd had the misfortune to be doing inventory the night his store had been hit and was subsequently killed. Maybe they could finally get these crooks and justice would be served. Suddenly she couldn't get to her room fast enough and get on the phone to Capt. Gallardo.
It turned out to be the break they had prayed for. Capt Gallardo had every available officer canvassing all the neighborhood businesses near the victimized jewelry stores for any available surveillance tapes. Hours were spent viewing tape after tape and they were finally able to get a blurry shot of the getaway van, another showed the model and a partial license plate, another had one of the thieves removing their masks and yet another showed two men tearing off the coveralls. All the hard work had finally paid off and it was only a matter of time before the men were apprehended, Capt. Gallardo happily reported to Hunter and McCall at the hospital a few days later.
"You two are amazing; solving a string of robberies and a murder from a hospital bed."
"What can I say we're a pretty amazing couple." Hunter joked pulling McCall close as she was sitting on the edge of his bed.
"When are they releasing you?"
"I'm out of here, but I'll have to come back for outpatient surgery when it's time for the pins in my wrist to be removed," McCall answered.
"And if everything is going as well as it is now I'm going home by the end of next week," Hunter said. "Recovery is gonna take a while though, but I'll have a great nurse."
"Oh, you did hire the blonde?" McCall said trying to keep a straight face.
They all had a laugh.
"There was something else you wanted to tell me?" Capt. Gallardo said.
"Yes we do," Hunter sat up a little straighter and wrapped his arm around McCall. "We are getting married. This event opened our eyes, so to say. There's always been something, but we were both too afraid to give in to it. I love DeeDee with all my heart and yesterday I asked her to become my wife."
"And I, of course, said yes." McCall pitched in.
"Congratulations, I know you'll be very happy together." He was happy for them, he realized, watching them gaze at each other like love-struck teenagers. He only knew bits and pieces of their history, but it was obvious that they were meant to be together and anyone who waited this long, deserved all the happiness in the world.
"Thanks Captain," they said simultaneously, with another laugh.
"I'd better go now; I still have a squad to run." He shook hands with them and left without looking back.
With the Captain gone, McCall lowered herself next to Hunter on the bed. "Move over a little, will you?"
Carefully he moved over and turned to face her, "Comfortable?"
"Yeah," she murmured, snuggling as close as possible, easier now that he had only one IV, no oxygen tubing and only telemetry leads attached to his chest.
He stared down at her, awed. She was positively glowing. With the back of his hand he caressed her cheek, followed by a soft kiss on her lips, "I love you, Mrs. Hunter."
She just smiled happily, and closed her eyes.
END NOTES: Dimphy and I began working on this at the end of September. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this and was happy how easily my writing flowed, following each part she sent me. She had asked me to correct any medical, but I never had to - she did a great job. She came up with the title and she kicked it off with the first chapter. Thanks Dimphy - let's do this again sometime, okay?