Hawke was pacing impatiently, waiting for the doctor to finish examining Caitlin when he saw Dom and Michael approaching. He came to a standstill and sat down on one of the hard plastic chairs in the corridor. Dom took the one next to him; Michael remained standing.

'How is she?' Dom asked, his eyes taking in the younger man's tension.

'Coming to.' Hawke said.

Dom relaxed seeing the clarity was back in Hawke's blue eyes; Caitlin must be doing better. He gave a gap-toothed smile. 'That's good news.'

'Yeah.' Hawke allowed a small smile to cross his lips. She was safe. For the time being.

'Are you up to telling us what happened?' Michael asked.

Hawke shrugged and folded his arms. 'She got shot.'

Dom's eyes filled with amusement as the spy gave a long-suffering sigh. Hawke was definitely back to his usual self.

'How?' Michael asked.

'Does it matter?' Hawke asked.

'I need to know if Byrne was involved in anyway…'

Hawke shook his head at Michael. 'It was my fault.' He watched Dom and Michael exchange a look. 'It was.' He insisted. 'I was out in the open without cover. If Caitlin hadn't…' He took a breath. 'She pushed me out of the way and took the bullet. She saved my life.'

'Ah hell.' Dom said quietly. No wonder Hawke had acted so crazy.

Michael sighed. 'You can't blame yourself, Hawke.'

Hawke shrugged again and changed the subject. 'Byrne get to his new life OK?'

'Yes.' Michael sat down, leaning on his cane. 'The designs he brought us were valuable.' He hesitated. 'I'm sorry that I didn't tell you but…'

Hawke sighed. 'Byrne told me he stole the info back in eighty-two to pay for his mother's health care. Is that true?'

Michael nodded. 'He was very young, Hawke. Brilliant but young. He took a wrong path.'

'Yeah.' Hawke nodded. Byrne had certainly come through for them in Airwolf…Hawke's eyes went wide in alarm and he shifted suddenly, turning to Dom. 'Dom, the Lady…'

Dom waved him back down into his seat. 'She's safe.'

'Safe.' Michael agreed, amused as Hawke's head whipped round to him. 'No thanks to you I might add.'

Hawke looked from Michael to Dom and then back again. Both wore matching bland expressions. He shook his head. 'I don't want to know.'

'I'm not telling you either.' Dom said.

Michael smiled enigmatically and stroked his moustache. He cleared his throat. 'I took the liberty of calling the O'Shaunessy's. They should be arriving soon.'

Hawke glanced at him in surprise. He hadn't even considered her family but of course Caitlin's folks should be told; they would want to be with her and she would probably want them close. He glanced at Dom; by the look on the older man's face he wasn't the only one who'd forgotten that Cait had another family.

The doctor came out of Caitlin's room and all three men rose to greet him.

'She's doing well.' He said. 'She'll be out of commission for a while with the shoulder and she's going to need some care for a time. She was very lucky. She's sleeping now.'

Hawke breathed out in relief. 'Thanks, doc.' He was already walking back into her room and missed both the doctor's nod of acknowledgement and the look Michael and Dom exchanged. He closed the door behind him and returned to his seat by her bedside. She was off the oxygen but there was a machine hooked up and taking her vitals. She still looked too pale. He took her hand. Caitlin turned and her eyes opened to meet his.

'Hey.' She said groggily.

'Hey.' He replied. 'The doctor says you're going to be fine.'

'That's good.'

He gave a small smile. 'Michael called your folks.'

'He did?' Caitlin frowned. God knew how her parents were going to take the news she was doing more than flying stunts. They were going to be furious. She couldn't handle them. She blinked at sudden tears.

'Hey.' Hawke almost panicked at the sheen in her eyes. 'It's going to be OK. They'll be here soon and…'

'They're going to be so mad at me.' She said interrupting him.

Hawke stared at her. 'You've never told them?'

'About Airwolf?' Caitlin blinked at him in shock. 'Of course not. They don't know anything.'

Hawke was staggered. 'Well, you don't have to worry about that right now. You're tired.' He noted, rubbing the fingers he held. 'Close your eyes. Get some rest.'

She sighed and glanced over at him. She was tired; she could barely keep her eyes open. 'You'll stay with me?'

'I'll be right here.' He promised as she closed her eyes and gave in.

He must have fallen asleep himself because the room was dark and only dimly lit with the lamps on the side tables when he jerked awake. He pushed a hand through his hair, his eyes automatically going to Caitlin. She was still sleeping. His head tilted. Voices outside. Raised voices. There was an argument going on. He frowned. If they got any louder they'd wake her. Hawke let go of Caitlin's hand reluctantly and went to investigate.

The opening of the room door brought the argument outside to a halt as all the participants turned in his direction. He slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him whilst he reviewed the situation. Dom was standing shoulder to shoulder with Michael; Marella was in her usual place next to the spy. Hawke could read the strange mix of hurt and defiance in Dom's expression. His blue eyes slid to the middle-aged couple and pregnant woman they were faced off against; Caitlin's parents and her sister, Hawke deduced. All three had flushed cheeks and temper in their eyes. The silence was painful even for him; he cleared his throat.

'You must be Caitlin's parents?'

Patrick O'Shaunessy's green eyes narrowed at Hawke. Caitlin had always talked with fondness about Santini but this one…Caitlin was worryingly quiet about and when she did talk about him…there was always something in her voice that as her father set his teeth on edge. 'I'm Patrick O'Shaunessy.' He held his hand out automatically and found it briefly in an iron grip before being released.

Hawke dropped the other man's hand and wondered what the hell to say as the other man introduced his wife, Maggie and their daughter, Erin. 'This must be quite a shock for you. Caitlin told me she hasn't told you about the nature of the work we do.'

Patrick's eyes gleamed and flickered briefly to Michael before returning to Hawke. 'She hasn't told me anything and I'd like some answers.'

'We all would.' Maggie added angrily. 'My daughter is lying shot…'

'She saved my life.' Hawke said.

'And exactly what was it you were doing that meant she had to save you?' Maggie asked.

'They were on a mission for me.' Michael said firmly.

'A mission.' Patrick repeated.

'As I was trying to explain before,' Michael said, 'Santini Air has a contract with the FIRM to perform surveillance and occasional missions in the interests of national security.'

'And as I said to you, I've never heard of this FIRM.' Maggie rejoined.

'The FIRM is a highly covert agency,' Marella said calmly, 'we were established by George Washington after the War of Independence and the establishment of the first US government. We work under the same mandate as the CIA.'

'And what was this mission she was on when she was shot?' Maggie asked.

'I can't tell you.' Michael returned. 'National security.'

'But you should know that the work your daughter performs is critical and essential.' Marella added.

'And dangerous.' Maggie pointed out.

'So what the hell happened?' Patrick asked.

'It was my fault.' Hawke admitted.

'Your fault?' Patrick folded his arms and glared at Hawke. 'You want to explain that?'

Hawke adjusted his stand, prepared himself for the punch he deserved to get. 'Just what I said.'

'Pat,' Maggie O'Shaunessy laid a hand on her husband's arm before he could react, 'this isn't the time.' Her blue eyes flickered to Hawke. 'How is Caitlin?'

'She's sleeping.' Hawke took a breath. 'The doctor says she'll make a full recovery.'

The O'Shaunessy's breathed a sigh of relief.

'Thank God.' Patrick uttered.

'Well, thank you for your concern,' Maggie stated, 'but we'll take it from here.'

'But…' Dom looked at Hawke. The younger man's face was impassive, his blue eyes guarded.

'We appreciate your staying with her but we're her family.' Maggie insisted. 'We'll take over now.'

Dom's brow lowered ominously. Hawke shot him a look before the older man could erupt.

'Ma'am,' Hawke met her determined blue eyes with his own, 'I promised her I'd stay with her. I'm not going anywhere.'

Maggie frowned but before she could say anything, Erin put her hand on her mother's arm. 'Thank you. We're all tired from the journey and could do with a rest, maybe some food?'

'There's a cafeteria down on the second floor.' Marella said quickly. 'I'd be happy to show it to you.'

'Thank you.' Erin stared meaningfully at her parents who both nodded reluctantly.

'I guess some food wouldn't hurt.' Patrick admitted. He stared at Hawke. 'Perhaps you could let Caitlin know we're here when she wakes up and send someone for us.'

'Yes, sir.' Hawke replied.

'If you'd like to follow me.' Marella led the O'Shaunessy family down the corridor.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Hawke turned to Dom and Michael. 'Well that went well.'

Dom looked abashed. 'They took it real bad, String.'

'And they weren't prepared to listen.' Michael added. He wondered how he'd let the argument escalate though; diplomacy, negotiation was his daily existence. Maybe he'd been affected by the events of the last day more than he'd thought. It was an uncomfortable conclusion.

'Their daughter got shot.' Hawke pointed out to his two friends. 'They're hardly likely to be OK about that.' He sighed. 'Like I said Cait told me she hasn't told them anything about Airwolf or what we do.'

'So it's been a complete shock to them.' Michael sighed and tapped his cane on the floor as though impatient with his own inability to have seen it for himself.

'We care about her too.' Dom said firmly gesticulating in fine Italian style. 'And they should realise that. You've hardly moved from her bedside.'

'They are her family, Dom.' Hawke gently reminded him.

'Even so, Hawke.' Michael added.

Hawke turned as his ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps and a moment later, Erin O'Shaunessy came to a breathless halt in front of them. She'd practically run back to the room. She tried to take a breath, her hand stealing to her rounded abdomen and Hawke steered her into a chair as he ordered Dom to get her something to drink.

'Thank you.' She gasped. 'I just…'

'Catch your breath.' Hawke advised. His eyes flickered over her. 'Should you be running around like this?'

'I'm pregnant not an invalid.' She sounded so like Caitlin, Hawke found his lips twitching.

Dom arrived back with some water. 'Here you go. You drink it slowly now.'

'Thank you Mr Santini.' Erin smiled up at the old man who her sister spoke so fondly about. Her gaze drifted to Michael and his sartorial elegance and then back at Hawke. So this was the man her little sister was so confused about. 'I just…I didn't want you thinking we were all unappreciative for what you've done.'

Hawke's lips twitched again. 'Your folks are upset. We understand.'

'For them to find out that she's involved in slightly more than stunts and border hops, well…' Erin shrugged. 'I think they figured when she stopped being a cop that they could stop waiting for 'that call', you know.'

Hawke nodded, his eyes grave. He had gotten Caitlin involved with Airwolf; gotten her involved in something that might necessitate a call to her family to tell them she'd been hurt like she was now or worse one day…he tuned back into Erin.

'…they're a little shocked right now, that's all. We're glad she had you all to turn to.'

Dom's face lit up with his trademark gap-toothed grin and even Hawke's blue eyes warmed at Caitlin's sister.

'Thank you.' Hawke gestured at the room. 'I've got to get back to her.'

'I understand.' Erin got to her feet. 'I'll see you later?'

Hawke nodded. He watched her until she was out of sight before he took a step back to the room.

Dom's hand landed heavy on his shoulder. 'Want some company?'

Hawke looked at Dom's hope-filled look and then to Michael's. The knowledge that they were worried and wanted to be with her too warred with an instinctive reaction to say no; he wanted to be alone with her. His gut clenched; maybe it was for the best…her family were here and he was…he was getting too close…

'String?'

Dom's gentle prompt had Hawke sighing. He gestured at the room. 'Sure.'