response to a wonderful review filled with gaping holes i missed:

1. CPR- oops...sorry, it's a tv created reflex

2. Rape Kit- standard proceedure given the criminal's past

3. Hospital room assignments- oops (giggles)... it works out well for this chapter though...

Chapter 11

When Alex woke up she sat up and saw Bobby sitting up in his bed. He looked over at her.

"Hey," he said.

"That was lame," she responded- smiling simply because she was happy to see him, not because of the excruciating pain in her left foot.

"So? I'm allowed to be lame. My mind is not in top form right now," he said- also smiling because he was happy to see her, not because of the excruciating pain in his abdomen. "Also, do you have my notebook? Logan says you wouldn't hand it over- 'bitchy' was the term he used, I believe," said Bobby, smiling.

"He damn well knows why I wouldn't hand it over. Prick."

"Why- because he's just like you?" Bobby mused.

Alex threw her pillow at him. "Screw you," she laughed.

"He and Carolyn will definitely work well together," said Goren thoughtfully.

"They've gotta be tough to handle- I mean, you're crazy, but they've gotta be intense…"

"Hmmm…about that notebook."

"Oh," she sat up straight. "Yah, here you go." She carefully extracted his notebook from the nightstand drawer and leaned over to pass it to him. He reached for it, but winced.

"Here," she said and she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Bobby saw her bandaged foot.

"He do that to you?"

"Yep- fucking bastard." She got up and hopped on her right foot over to Bobby's bed, notebook in tow.

Se plopped down on the side of his bed. "Thanks," he said as she passed his notebook to him.

"Nice dress," she said looking at his hospital gown.

"Almost as nice as yours," he replied.

"They're identical."

"I know," he said simply. They were 2 inches away from each other at this point. He stared at her. "When do you get to take yours off?" he asked.

"What?"

"When do you get to go home?"

"Oh- uh… oh yah, anytime today, I'm just being a pill."

"Amazing how easily you can forget that," he mumbled. She smacked him on the forehead.

"Come on- I need you to take notes, Logan came by before you got out of surgery."

"Yah- he told me all that while you were out cold. There was a little bit of drool-" he put his index finger to his lips. She smacked him again and he laughed. "Yah-yah, the belt, the computer, all that stuff. Where's my pen?"

Alex passed a pen to him. "Did he mention the chair?" she asked.

"The chair? No- what chair?" Bobby knew she had caught something that anyone but them would have- and did- miss.

"Bastard gagged me, so I gave him a few sound kicks. Got his knee pretty good- along with some other places- he was limping. He had to use a chair to get out of the window."

Bobby smirked as he wrote in his notes. "Which leg?" he asked.

"Left, I think." Bobby continued to write. "How long have you been out, anyway?"

"Of surgery?" He rubbed his temple. "Two hours I suppose, maybe more."

Alex nodded. "When do you get out?"

"Probably a week or so- they're not sure."

"Well, Ballistics has both bullets-"

"Both?"

"The one from my foot, and the one from your abdomen. Anyway, they've got both, and they're gonna put a trace on the gun. Not that it'll help- we already know who did it," she said bitterly before tilting her head and thinking out loud, "He didn't really think this through though, did he? Gunshots in a public place, grabbing a cop…"

"I know," said Bobby, thinking about it as well. "The signature is all wrong- no where near the other vics. All of the other killings were methodical; none of the other vics showed evidence of being bound. And no offense, but you're not exactly his type, you're too…too…" he trailed off in what Alex perceived to be hesitation.

"Just say it Bobby, I'm old."

"You're not old- and that's not entirely my point-"

"What?" Alex sat up, looking at Bobby, who was deep in thought.

He looked at her. "I don't think he killed those other girls."

Alex didn't buy it. "He went after me- US- because we were investigating the cases! Once a kidnapper and killer, always one!"

"The style just doesn't fit. I am in no way undermining what he did to you-"

"And you," she cut in, pointing at the bandages poking through his hospital gown.

"-But he couldn't have committed the first 5 murders. The question now is: Why did he get involved at this point? And where is the original murderer?" The look on his face screamed 'Don't you understand! You have to understand!' mixed with 'I am so sorry.'

Tears streamed down Alex's cheek. She couldn't cope with it. What happened to her had been a result of the investigation, yet the two had nothing to do with each other? She couldn't deal with it.

Bobby sat up to hug her, but she slipped off of his bed and hopped back to her own where she climbed under her covers and curled up to sleep, her back to Bobby.

As if he had read her mind, he said, "Alex, we are not back where we started. There is a connection; we just have to find it. When I get out of here, we'll find it." Alex neither spoke nor moved. "In the meantime- while Logan and Barak have the case- let's be as needy and annoying as we can." At this, Alex's shoulders shook with laughter as she sniffed.

Sherolled over onto her back, looking at the ceiling. "Look at us, we're both in the hospital, you're two hours out of surgery for a gun shot wound to the abdomen, and we're talking about the case."

"You know me..."