As she hung up with Abbott, she caught a glimpse of a shadow entering Jane's room. With a jolt of alarm, she jumped toward the doorway in a panic, tearing the door open and glaring at -

"Cho!" She smiled in true relief.

"Boss."

"Come to check in on him, did you?" Cho had always been such a good friend to Jane - and a wonderful agent for her & the team.

"Was already on my way over when Abbott texted that you might need my help this morning?"

So Dennis had already begun planning Jane's protection detail even before he'd hung up with her, she thought, grateful beyond words for the supportive network of friends she and Patrick had, circling protectively around them.

"What's the ruckus about, Lisbon?" a sleepy voice croaked out from the hospital bed beside them.

She gasped at her own forgetfulness and lack of awareness. In her determined state, as his protector, she had completely lost track of the fact that her love was sleeping (or at least trying to) in the same room she had just barged into. Not to mention that she had practically shouted at Cho when she had recognized him. And though she realized it was involuntary - her adrenaline coming through in her voice then - she still kicked herself for inadvertently startling Jane.

"I'm so sorry, love," she brushed his cheek with the back of her hand. I guess I'm a bit jumpy with Erica on the prowl again."

"She doesn't stand a chance against you, Teresa. You either, Kimball!" He glinted at the agent.

"Very funny." Cho deadpanned, though Jane could tell that under his stoic front, the agent was amused with his comment.

Lisbon was hesitant to leave Jane's side, but she needed to get to her desk and find out what she could about Erica and Marcus's whereabouts.

"Jane, one of our team will stay with you at all times until we find Erica and Marcus. Cho is gonna hang with you for the next few hours while I go into work, okay?"

"Well, he's not as cute, but he'll do." Her husband flirted.

"I'm gonna wait in the hallway." Cho stated flatly, not wanting to be a party to any mushiness. He was getting flashbacks to his stakeouts with 'lovesick puppy' Wayne Rigsby, back in the day. Gag-worthy, he chuckled to himself.

Lisbon took the opportunity of privacy to caress her husband tenderly for a few moments. "You be safe, my love. And no playing tricks on Cho!" She sparkled with a laugh.

"Who me?" He put a hand to his chest, gesturing to himself, wearing a hurt look on his face.

Laughing again, Lisbon left him with a bundle of tender kisses and sweet whispers. "I'll be back before dinner. I love you, sweet Patrick." Sincerity saturated her last few words. She adored the lightness of his mood, and that his inner jokester was showing up more frequently now, but she felt the weight and depth of her love for him sharply, as she left him in Cho's capable protection.

She walked with purpose from the elevator to her corner of the bullpen, surprised to see a shock of red hair, reclining on her husband's favorite leather couch.

"Grace?" She smiled and hugged her visiting friend. "I thought you guys had flown back to San Francisco?"

"Wayne went to be with the kids - I'm going to follow in a few days. Look, Boss, I thought that maybe you might want to talk. If not, that's OK, but I'm just saying that I have a unique perspective on situations where someone close to me didn't represent themselves honestly, and were later revealed to be involved in some evil plot."

"You make an excellent point, and that would be a welcome luxury. Thanks Grace. I have feelings on the subject, and I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather get Pike & Erica into custody first."

"Completely understandable. How can we help?"

"Anything you can do to track them electronically would help. You could coordinate with Wylie?"

"Done!"

Wylie had been busy scouring security videos from the hospital in hopes of solving the mystery of whether or not Erica had actually been in Jane's hospital room.

The FBI had already interviewed all the nurses on his floor, and had done a thorough sweep for bugs in Jane's room, and the areas surrounding.

"Anything I can do to help?" Van Pelt inquired.

"Sure! Great to have you onboard for this agent Van Pelt! Could you go over this stack of tips that we've gathered while I look at the security video?"

"Of course!" Grace took a box of paper to Jane's couch and began sifting through what seemed like a ton of notes. After several minutes (and at least one paper-cut), she noticed an official communiqué that had gotten thrown in with all of the random tips from civilian sources.

"Hey Boss, I think I found some good news!"

"What is it, Grace?"

"According to this memo from Scotland Yard, there is literally no way that Erica could have been in Jane's room the other day. At any time in the last week, actually. She's in Lebanon, and so is Pike. He must have bolted immediately after the attack. The art fraud team hasn't heard from him since then, either."

Erica was discovered to be holding Pike captive - furious that he'd ruined her plans for Jane and that he'd damaged her prized prey. She had escaped to Beirut, kidnapping him in the process - allowing her current lover, Jan Nemick, to indenture Pike as a hitman for his own purposes.

The tip from Scotland Yard had come from Francis Slocombe, the Inspector whose son had stolen Cleopatras ring, and who had been murdered at the residence of Hopper Banks. Slocombe was saddened to hear of Jane's injuries and had been following the investigation through channels. He had dealt with Erica's shenanigans before, and had collaboratively set up secret checkpoints throughout Europe and the Middle East to ensnare her. He didn't envy Pike his current predicament, being trapped by an international criminal like Nemick, but figured he'd brought some of it on himself - and Pike had shot Jane, who had treated him, personally, with such respect and understanding at the loss of his son. That attack was unforgivable in his eyes, so he showed Pike no empathy in his investigation.

"Hey Lisbon," Abbott called across the bullpen, "you've got a visitor."

Puzzled, she walked across the work area and into Abbott's office, surprised to see Danny Ruskin sitting inside.

"I want in on this action." He said, quietly but with an air of determination.

"Absolutely not, Danny - it's too dangerous to involve civilians in an FBI activity of this scale." She stood on principal here, but she also did feel quite protective of Danny, being Jane's only living relative.

"But I know I can help!" He shot back, "I deal with crooks like this Erica chick all the time! And didn't me and Patrick solve my case that time by running a great con together?"

She realized there might be some truth to what he'd just said, but was still concerned for his safety - and she didn't want to have to split her time worrying and protecting TWO Jane's. She needed all of her focus to be on her husband right now.

"Look, Danny… you make some valid points, and Patrick and I both appreciate that you want to help…"

"But the answer is still no, right?!" He cut her off in frustration, standing quickly, shoulders up & arms out.

Calmly, she continued, "Actually I was going to say: but it's still too early in the investigation to even know what type of plan might work. Have patience, and if there is a way to employ your help without endangering you - or the investigation - I promise I'll be in touch."

Danny flushed a bit, stunned, as he stepped down his scrappy, fighting words. "Oh. I see. Well thank you - I appreciate that, Teresa."