Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you loved the first chapter. I wasn't too sure about it. I have the story all lined up, only waiting to be written. I'll try to do my best to have it all posted before the next episode is up. I know I make mistakes, sorry, I am not a native speaker and I don't really have time to check the text two or three times... bear with me, please.

Ben Warren was looking after Jeff, he was mercifully still asleep due to the drugs they gave him. They still had to wait for the blizzard to go away before they could move him to Grey Sloan. So he at least did the paperwork. He was counting the vials for the third time and it just didn't add up.

He was confused. There were missing vials of fentanyl. They should have been there but they weren't. It didn't make any sense. Why would they be missing? Sitting back in the chair he sighed heavily. He had an idea but it simply couldn't be. Absolutely not. No.

There was only one man that could have taken the vials. Sullivan. But that just… it was just crazy. Ben tried to think back, he tried to remember something that would give him a clue, he tried to put the pieces together but the picture he got unsettled him. He couldn't leave Jeff alone but after another ten minutes of thinking it through and still coming up to the same conclusion, he checked his vitals and left. He met Hughes at the reception.

"Hey, how's the patient?" Vic asked.

"Asleep but stable."

"Good," she answered.

"Look, Vic, could you stay with him for a moment? I need to take care of something." Ben asked her. The Station was calm and nothing was happening.

"Yeah, no problem."

"Thanks. If anything happens, call me."

"Sure," Vic said and walked to the Aid Car in the garage. Ben on the other hand gathered up all his courage and went to search for Sullivan.

Sullivan in the meantime was still in the bunk. He was stiff and needed to get up and stretch but he refused to get up and stretch. Andy was asleep, it was uneasy sleep, she was whimpering and kept on shivering, she was holding the fabric of his shirt fiercely in her fist and from time to time a lonely tear fell down her face. His heart was breaking for her every single time that happened.

Watching her, caressing her hair and holding her hand when she let go of his shirt, he focused only on her. He shouldn't be there with her. He shouldn't be the one to hold her right now. Things would get complicated and rough and everything would be awkward and miserable. But how could he just leave her? How could he pretend he didn't care?

Checking the time he was surprised it was already so late. Andy began to stir and it didn't take her long to wake up. She was confused at first, it took her a moment to realize where she was. She looked up and saw Sullivan's face. She was frozen in shock. Then it all came back to her.

"Hey." Sullivan said and smiled at her. He didn't want that moment to be awkward and embarrassing but had the distant feeling that it would anyway.

"Oh. Hey." She said back nervously. She honestly didn't know what to do. Any movement would mean more contact between them and that didn't seem like a good idea.

So they just stayed as they were, both feeling nervous and awkward and at loss for the right words. Andy was the first to break the moment as she sat up and moved away from him a bit. It was so embarrassing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" She tried to apologize but he jumped in and stopped her.

"Don't."

"What?"

"Don't apologize, please. I…" And he couldn't form a coherent sentence either. He took a deep breath and moved to get up from the bed, praying his leg would play along. He ended up sitting next to her, their legs almost touching.

"Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I'm here." He said then and sounded pathetic even to his own ears. Andy looked at him in shock, such admission was not something she expected. Sullivan exhaled loudly, kissed her temple, whispered that he was sorry and got up and left. Andy was speechless, felt her cheeks getting hot, she watched him go and was glad she was sitting because her world got rocked again. That man was… oh she didn't know. But she believed him. Whatever, whenever, he'd be there.

Of course it confused her even more. Than it all came back to her, how she cried in his arms, how she held him desperately, how she sobbed and then let him take her into his arms. She felt so embarrassed she couldn't even comprehend it. How did that happen? She was in shock and grieving. And he came and he was simply there. No questions asked. No answers needed. He was there for her and let her cry her broken heart out. But what did it mean?

Before she could think about it further, her father was at the door, looking at her, unsure about what to do. She just smiled at him sadly and he came to her, sat down next to her and hugged her.

"I'm so sorry…" he kept on repeating as he held her. When she finally pulled away, she held his hand.

"Tell me everything, dad." She asked and he nodded. And so he told her. He told her about the pain and he told her about the day he found out. He told her about the bar and he told her about trying to find a way how to tell her. He told her about refusing chemo and he told her about the treatments and about what was happening. He told her about Ben being there that day and he told her about breaking Montgomery up on the roof. She actually laughed at that.

"And Maya? Did she know?" Andy asked and was scared of the answer.

"No, she didn't know. I swear." He said and she believed him.

"Dad…"

"Yes?"

"Did Ryan know?" Andy asked, broken and exhausted. She was also hungry. God what time was it? How long did she sleep here with Sullivan?

Pruitt had thought about this part for a very long time. He knew that at some point she would find out or figure it out. He knew that he didn't want to go and have secrets from her, he knew that he owed her the truth.

"Dad?" She asked again, worried, her voice trembling.

"He knew. I came to San Diego and told him. I asked him to come back for you." He answered with heavy heart. Andy was shocked and felt tears in her eyes again.

"Dad…"

"He came back because I asked him to come back. If I hadn't…" He admitted something that had been bothering him for a really long time.

"No, stop."

"Andrea…"

"No. It's not your fault he died. Not more than it's mine."

"What? Why on Earth would it be your fault?"

"Because if I had been at work it wouldn't have happened." She told him matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, and that woman you saved would have bled out in front of her children's eyes." Pruitt replied and Andy knew he was right.

"Okay… but don't blame yourself, all right? You can't and I can't. And I know it's hard and that it hurts, dad, but we can't."

"Oh, sweetheart." He whispered and hugged her again as she started to cry once more. And he was not ashamed to feel tears in his own eyes.

They moved apart when Andy's stomach growled. She was so hungry. Pruitt laughed when he heard that.

"Seems like you could use some lunch." He said.

"Lunch? What time is it?" Andy asked slightly in panic and checked the time.

"You've slept for couple of hours." Pruitt told her softly.

"Dad…" She wanted to explain but he caressed her hair and that effectively stopped her. Her father was not the type to show affection like that so when he did, it meant the world to her.

"I was wrong about you and Sullivan." He said. "I told you in the car but I should have told you sooner. I was wrong."

"Nothing happened, dad." Andy repeated. "I didn't sleep with him. I know you think I disgraced you but…"

"No, stop." He stopped her. "I am proud of you. Of everything you are. I love you." He said and she felt like an idiot but she was ready to cry again.

"Dad…"

"You care about him quite a lot, don't you?" He said and it was more a statement than a question and she didn't try to argue. She only nodded.

"I care about him. But everything got messed up and then even more with the promotions. And I didn't get mine in the end anyway so…"

"Come on, let's eat."Pruitt stopped her and when she nodded and got up, he was glad. He planned on telling her about his part in her not getting the promotion but decided not to do that on empty stomach. The Station was still closed and the only thing they could do was to go to the beanery and hope there'd be some food left.

The word spread and so all of the team knew about Pruitt's condition so when anyone came, there was that awkward moment of not knowing what to do or how to react. He dismissed them all and tried to keep the team together. They all noticed how Andy looked but nobody said a word.

Vic wasn't there as she was in the Aid Car looking after Jeff. And Ben wasn't there because he finally found Sullivan in his office and decided to bite the bullet.

Sullivan was sitting on the edge of his desk, his eyes closed, he was deep in thought. Ben didn't get the news about Pruitt Herrera telling them all so he didn't connect the dots but that didn't matter. He knocked and Sullivan looked up at him.

"Warren."

"Sir. Can I talk to you for a second?" Ben asked.

"Sure. Everything okay with Jeff and his dog?"

"Yeah, don't worry."

"Good. So come on in and let's talk." Sullivan said, totally oblivious to how Ben was nervous and serious. Ben closed the door behind him which had Sullivan look at him questioningly. Warren didn't sit down, he stood face to face to his Chief and knew very well that this conversation might cost him his job. But he decided to trust his gut and his gut was telling him that Sullivan was in troubles and needed help.

"I did the inventory check and there are some missing vials of fentanyl." Ben started. Sullivan didn't move a muscle. He didn't let it on but inside him there was a raging storm of shame and worry.

"Sir I might be way out of line but I think you took them." He said and waited.

"And why would I do that?" Sullivan asked as calmly as he could.

"My guess? You're in pain. It's your leg. I've noticed the occasional cramps you have. I know you've been to Grey Sloan because my wife saw you and asked me if you were all right. I don't know what exactly is going on and what is your situation that it makes you take drugs from the PRT supplies but I know something is happening."

"Warren…" Sullivan wanted to say something but Warren wasn't finished.

"So I'm not asking you if you took those vials but why? What is going on, Sir? And more importantly, how can I help?" Warren asked and waited for Sullivan to say something, to react to that. Sullivan sighed and took some time to think about how exactly to explain it. Warren was right and he owed him at least a decent explanation.

"Complex regional pain syndrome." He said.

"What?"

"It started when we came back from L.A. I've been seeing Dr. Koracick but his only solution is a very expensive surgery which I don't want."

"But why?"

"Because it's chronic. It can come back even after the surgery, there are no guarantees. And once I have this in my file, I'm done." Sullivan said and noticed that Warren looked sad about it.

"That's why you wanted the promotion. That's why you wanted desk job." Warren realized and Sully only nodded.

"Yeah. I've been doing PT but it's getting worse and more frequent. I ran out of prescription drugs so I did something I am not proud of. But I saw no other option." Sullivan admitted. "Write me down, Warren, report it." He said in the end and that had Ben looking at him like he just grew a tail and horns.

"What? No."

"Warren, the PRT is a good thing and it shouldn't get ruined just because I messed up. This is not your problem. Just report it." Sullivan said. And he meant it. But Warren looked defensive.

"I won't do that, Sir."

"Ben."

"No. You've always had my back, Sir."

"Bullshit, I gave you hard time when I first came here. You don't owe me anything."

"Okay so maybe not always but once you started to open a bit to us and tried to be part of the team? Ever since then you've always had my back. And not just mine. Whether you like it or not, Sir, you are part of this team. And we were taught to look out for each other, to care about each other." Ben was passionate about this and Sullivan was embarrassed because he was actually moved quite a lot by that speech.

"So I'm not letting you go down just because you're sick. That's not what we do."

"There's nothing you can do, Ben." He told him. "But thank you, you have no idea how much I appreciate this." And he was serious. Even he had no idea how much something like that could mean to him.

"You're wrong. I can do something. But if I do it, I need your word, that you won't take another vial, Sir. Give me your word."

Ben asked him and Sullivan knew he had two options. First one was to do as Warren asked and trust him and the other was to say no and thank you and hope things would work out somehow. But that was unlikely. So he nodded.

"You have my word." Sullivan said and Ben nodded.

Warren took out his phone and dialed a number. Sullivan watched him and didn't know what was happening.

"Amelia, hi. How are you doing?" Ben asked the person on the other end of the line. Amelia? Sullivan tried to think about that name. Who was she?

"I know you took some personal days but I was hoping I could ask for a favor." Ben said and Sully realized that there was a doctor at Grey Sloan named Amelia Her surname started with Sh. Who was she?

"Yeah, he's a friend of mine. He was Koracick's patient but it didn't work out that well. Could you please take a look at his case?"

Sullivan waited, holding his breath. Amelia Shepherd, she was a neurosurgeon. Ding ding, he hit the jackpot.

"Yeah, name's Robert Sullivan." Ben added and Sullivan didn't know what to say.

"Sure, Amelia. Thanks, I owe you one." Ben said and handed the phone to Sullivan. He looked like deer caught in the headlights but took the phone and talked to the woman on the other side. Ben sat down and waited. Once the call was over Sullivan handed him the phone back.

"Koracick is good but she's better and she's open-minded. If there's anyone that can help you, it's her."

"Thank you, Warren. Really."

"Just… get better, Sir." Warren said and got up from the chair he occupied during Sullivan's call with Amelia.

"What about the fentanyl?" Sullivan asked.

"Vials can break." Warren replied and with a nod he left the office. He couldn't wait to go home.

Sullivan sat down behind his desk and couldn't believe what just happened. He thought he was screwed. He thought Warren would get his head. He really thought he would just report him and see to it that his career was over. But instead of that he tried to help him.

The doctor told him there were no guarantees but she agreed to take a look at his case. They made an appointment in Grey Sloan and he could only hope she would figure something out. But as she said, she could make no promises. He only hoped it wouldn't come to the surgery which still had 50:50 chances of helping him live a better life.

Sullivan knew that he couldn't keep on going like this. He knew it was wrong and thinking back to his actions he was ashamed. The pain was too much but this was maybe even worse. So should it come to that, he would have to agree with the surgery and hope it would be a success and that he would keep his job.

He was tired, so tired. And hungry. So deciding to grab a bite in the beanery he walked there, felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Thinking about this day he felt something warm in his chest though. Those hours spent with Andy in the bunk gave him a lot to think about. He was there for her because she needed him. Because her father was right and her year would get much worse. Because she would grieve for another loved one and it would break her. Even now she was more numb than angry no matter she claimed otherwise. There was no spark in her eyes and when she tried to smile, her eyes remained dark and cold. He knew how that felt, he's been there, he's done that.

But she relaxed in his arms and let him offer comfort. She asked him not to leave and he told her he wouldn't go anywhere. He knew she was mad at him and she had every right to be. But after this morning there was a silver lining for him that maybe, just maybe under all those dark exhausting emotions was still the one that was light and beautiful, optimistic and full of joy. Maybe she still cared about him. Maybe… No, he had to stop. It was useless.

His leg was the problem, the big issue and she didn't know about it. Could he tell her? Should he tell her? Or should he wait for the results of his meeting with Dr. Shepherd? Could it make a difference?

He saw her and her dad when he came to the beanery. Hughes was there with them, so was Montgomery and Rigo with Bishop. Gibson was there too but looked – wait a minute – beaten? He would surely have to ask about that. What the hell happened? Somebody punched him? But as he noticed Andy looking at him, he felt his heart melt. He was so screwed. Yesterday he was trying to persuade himself that it would be better to forget everything and now? Damn!

As he was pouring coffee, Andy came to put the mugs and plates to the sink. He felt her close and there was electricity in the air.

"Andy… can we talk? I need to tell you something." He said and felt like a damn fool. She looked at him nervously.

"Later?" She asked but there was no venom in her voice like the days before. She was blushing under his gaze and he wanted to hug her once more which was bad enough. So he gripped his mug quite strongly.

"Sure." He answered. She nodded and left in a hurry. She sat down back to her father and together with the crew they waited for the all clear so they could take the patient in the Aid Car to the hospital and they could all go home.

"Have a seat, Sullivan." Pruitt said and Sully wanted to decline but had no valid reason to do so. So he thanked him and sat down with them. He realized they were talking about Miller and his baby so he gathered the little one was already born.

"She did great." Maya said and so he started to pay attention.

"She had a great support." Pruitt added and Maya knew what he was trying to do. And she was grateful.

"Yeah, me and Andy and baby with Miller's genes, what more is there, huh?" She said and they grinned. Even Andy. She was too tired to be mad so she just went along. Sure she was still mad but in the light of the news she got that day, she didn't give a damn anymore.

"So we're throwing a baby party, right?" Rigo asked.

"You bet we are." Sullivan replied and the mood was up a bit. Happier.

Finally the all clear came and they could all finish their jobs, go home and get some sleep before the next shift. Vic asked Ben if she could take the Aid Car and he looked at her questioningly.

"In a hurry to see Avery?" He asked with a mocking smile.

"I'm not answering that." She said and grinned back at him. So what?

About one more to go.