Aiden woke up not able to breath. Panicking she tried to sit up but it felt as though someone was sitting on her chest. Tears gathered in her eyes as her body only allowed her to take sort inhales, not nearly enough to stay conscious for long. Luckily the noise woke up Danny who was sleeping in the chair beside the bed. "Aiden?" Danny took one look at her a bolted out of the room for help. Within seconds he had the entire hospital staff in the room and a few seconds after that she was breathing easy again. "Man you really know how to get some attention."
"Yeah, you know me. I'm all about the attention." Aiden closed her eyes and relaxed.
"How ya doing?" Danny asked sitting back down.
"I'm good. Here help me sit up."
"Okay," Danny placed one hand behind Aiden's back and carefully got her in a half sitting position. As he was getting her up he felt the rattle in her chest. "You want some water?"
"Yeah," Aiden said taking hold of the cup Danny passed to her. After she finished drinking she turned her attention to her partner. "Does Mac have you and Flack babysitting me?"
"No, we're just worried about you that's all." Danny took the cup out of Aiden's hand a placed it on the bedside table. "Plus if I wasn't here you would have continued turning blue."
"I'm fine."
"Fine, right I believe you," Danny laughed. "The mother of the girl stopped by while you were sleeping. She talked to the department head about getting your heroism recognized. The flowers are from her."
"Just doing my…" Aiden began coughing and placed her hand on her chest.
"Aiden you want me to get the doc?" Danny asked. He got no response as Aiden continued coughing and her heart rate spiked on the monitor. He was about to race out of the room when Aiden's hand took a hold of his keeping him in place. Her heart rate slowed and she ceased her coughing fit. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. Listen I appreciate the concern but you have to work tomorrow whereas I am going to be sleeping. Go home and get some rest don't worry I'm not going anywhere." Aiden carefully lowered herself back to a flat position and gave Danny a reassuring smile.
"Alright but if you need…"
Yeah I know who to call. Night Messer."
"Night, get some rest."
Aiden closed her eye but couldn't seem to get to sleep. Her mind was racing she continued to play the events in the restaurant over and over in her mind. She wondered if what she did was the right thing or if she had purposely put herself in harms way. She didn't have a death wish but it wouldn't have been the first time she had done something irrational and impulsive and gotten hurt because of it.
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"How is Aiden doing?" Stella asked Danny as he walked into the crime lab.
"You know Aiden, she's tough." Danny paused and thought about the previous night and Aiden's little coughing fits. "I was there last night and I swear I saw her face and hands turn blue."
"That's pretty normal when dealing with an injured lung," Stella explained trying to ease Danny's obvious worry. "Mac went to check on her this morning. She is going to be fine, she'll be back in the lab and poking fun at you in no time."
"Stella you didn't see her fall down. I didn't even know she was hit until she let go of the girl and fell." Danny took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"Everyone gets shot, it's part of the job."
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"Hey Mac." Aiden smiled as her boss walked in as the nurse was helping her into a nice blue sling. "Did you get a hit on my bullet?"
"The guy isn't in the system but we'll get him." Mac gave Aiden a sympathy smile as she winced while the nurse continued to deal with her arm. "How are you doing?"
"Good, beside that I've got no left arm and I can't breath I'm just great."
"Well just take it easy you can start back on half days when you feel ready. And don't push yourself to much you did a good job."
"Thanks Mac." Aiden wanted to hear Mac's approval it meant something coming from him. She had always respected him and the fact that he thought she did a good job took a lot of the weight off her shoulders. "I shouldn't me out of the office for much time. Say hi to everyone for me."
"You need a ride home?" Mac asked.
"You got work to do, I'll take a cab."
"I'll take you home," Mac said giving no room for argument. He wanted to make sure that Aiden got home all right. He knew she lived in a fourth floor walk up and that she wound never make it up on her own.
"Thanks Mac."
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"We've got Jane Alexander found by a street vendor. She's got ligature marks on her neck and it looks like she was raped," Flack said leading Stella and Mac under the police tape to the crime seen. "We're pulling surveillance videos from everywhere in a two block radius and canvassing the neighbourhood. So far we've come up empty." Flack watched Stella and Mac work for a few minutes before asking the question that had been permanently stamped in his mind. "How is Aiden doing?"
"She's okay. A little shaken up by the whole thing but she'll be fine." Mac said as he looked around the scene.
"Her picture was in the Post today, granted it wasn't on the front page but our little CSI is a hero." Flack smiled trying to make light of the situation. It was his way of dealing with things. If he couldn't put a positive spin on something he would be lost. "I hope you talked to her about safety Mac."
"Flack worried about safety. Has the world gone upside-down?" Stella asked following along with Flack's joking nature.
"Well I think that you should talk to her about safety Flack," Mac said bagging some fibres. "It would be nice for her to have some company."
"So you want me to check up on her?"
"Don't make it that obvious please," Mac said.