It seemed like he was waiting forever, staring at the ceiling, trying not to let his worry and fear overwhelm him. He could hear the sounds of a busy emergency room around him, the murmur of voices, the endless footsteps, the squeak of wheels, the beeps of monitors, the occasional cries of pain or despair.

He had closed his eyes, breathing slowly through his nose, hoping to slow the pounding of his heart. He was only minimally successful.

He heard the curtain rattle and opened his eyes to see Dr. Williams step into the cubicle, making sure the curtain was closed behind him before he approached the bed. He was smiling. "Good news, Steve, so you can relax," he said with a soft chuckle as he parked himself on the side of the bed again. "I tracked your partner down. He is here and he's gonna be okay."

Steve exhaled loudly, bringing his right hand up to cover his eyes momentarily. His relief was palpable and Williams reached out to gently pat his leg.

"Where is he?" Steve breathed.

Williams hesitated for a beat, inhaling before he spoke. "Well, he's in the ICU right now," he said quickly, increasing the pressure of his hand on the young man's leg as he saw the green eyes widen in alarm, "but that's just a precaution. He has several broken ribs and his left lung collapsed in the accident. They put a chest tube in at the scene and it's going to stay in until tomorrow morning, so he's been sedated. That's why he's in the ICU, that's all. His life is not in danger."

Steve had been staring at him without blinking. Now he closed his eyes and released his held breath. "Is that all?"

Williams frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Does he have any other injuries?"

"Oh, ah… well, he has a mild concussion - which is remarkable, considering," he added almost as an aside to himself, "and a hairline fracture of his left shoulder blade." He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "But, ah, from what I've heard about the accident, the two of you got away lucky."

Steve was looking down at the blanket covering his legs. He nodded almost absent-mindedly. Then he looked up. "Can I see him?"

"Oooohhh," the doctor said quickly, sitting back slightly and lifting his hand, "I don't think that's going to happen today, I'm afraid. 'Cause he's not going anywhere right now and, well, neither are you, not with your busted ribs either. I'm afraid you're just going to have to take my word about things for the time being, all right?"

Frowning, Steve was staring at the middle-aged doctor; after a long second, he nodded.

"Good." Williams got to his feet. "Oh, ah, there's a couple of L.A. cops out there," he nodded over his shoulder, "who'd like to talk to you. You up for a couple of visitors?"

His frown deepening, Steve nodded again.

"Okay. I'll be back to see you later." He disappeared through the curtains. Less than a minute later, they opened again hesitantly and Evans and Garabaldi stepped into the cubicle. They both looked worried and shell-shocked.

"Good lord," Evans almost whispered as he crossed to the bed, frowning. "What the hell…" he breathed rhetorically, shaking his head sadly. He glanced back at his partner and swallowed heavily, then gestured at a nearby chair. "Are you up for this?"

Steve nodded, trying to smile. "Yeah… yeah, I'm okay right now." He glanced at the IV in the back of his right hand. "The drugs are working really well."

Garabaldi smiled almost self-consciously as he too reached for a chair. "That's good. But holy shit, Steve…" He glanced at Evans as they both sat. "We still can't believe what happened. And from what we've heard, all of you were lucky to get out alive."

"They won't let me see Mike… I haven't seen him since right after the accident…"

Both detectives were nodding sympathetically. "Yeah, ah, we were told he's in ICU but he's gonna be okay."

Steve's green eyes bored into Garabaldi's, as if a light bulb had just turned on. "He's allowed visitors. Phil, can you go see him? I just need someone besides a doctor to tell me he's okay."

Garabaldi's head went back slightly and his eyes widened. "Ah, yeah, sure." He glanced at his partner, both aware of the barely concealed desperation in the younger man's voice. "I'll go right now." He got up and left the room.

Evans watched as Steve visibly relaxed for a second then tensed again. "Lonsdale!"

"We know, we know," Evans interrupted quickly, leaning forward. "The Parks Service has their helicopter up, they've set up roadblocks and they've got some men on the ground. They haven't found him yet but they're still hoping."

Steve looked stricken. "I didn't have a choice, Bob. The gas was leaking and we were afraid the car was going to go up… He had a broken wrist…" His eyes were unfocused, staring at the blanket. "I don't know what I'm gonna tell Mike…" he whispered.

"You tell him the truth, that's what you tell him. You did nothing wrong, Steve, and he'll know that."

After several silent seconds, the young man nodded softly. "I couldn't get out of the way… the Chevelle…" He swallowed heavily. "It was in our lane… and he was coming so fast…" He looked up, his brow furrowed, and Evans knew what he was asking.

The L.A. detective shook his head. "He died instantly. If, ah… if it's any consolation, they found a half-empty bottle of vodka under the front seat…"

Steve closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Evans watched him silently, giving him space, letting him think. When the younger man finally raised his head, he smiled slightly. "Oh, ah, we called up to San Francisco, talked to a Captain Devitt…?" Steve nodded in confirmation. "Told him about what happened. They're, ah, they're just as shocked as we are… Anyway, he's sending some of your men down. They're gonna drive, he said, so they can take you guys back when you're ready… 'cause, you know, neither of you'll probably be able to fly for awhile so…" He shrugged with a soft smile. "So anyway, he said they probably should get here before midnight." He paused and chuckled slightly. "They seemed pretty worried about the two of you."

Steve smiled grimly, nodding. He seemed almost embarrassed. "Listen, uh, Lonsdale's parents –"

"Already on it," Evans cut him off smoothly. "We've got some of our people working on trying to find them, based on what you and Mike told us." When Steve's eyes narrowed, he laughed. "I know, I know, it's not our case, but because of, well…" He gestured at the bed. "… and what all four of us were all able to do these past few days… well, we kinda feel like it's our case too now." He paused, staring into the green eyes evenly. "Any objections?"

Biting his bottom lip, Steve stared at the older man silently for several long seconds then he dropped his head slightly. "Not from me, but it's not my case, it's Mike's. So that's his decision."

Evans smiled cheekily. "Well, he's in no condition to object right now, is he?"

Steve's head came up sharply, his eyes blazing. Then he smiled and shook his head, realizing what Evans was trying to do. "No, he's not, is he?" The smile faded. "Thanks, Bob."

The lieutenant nodded, the twinkle remaining in his eyes. "You're welcome…"

# # # # #

Slipping his badge back into his pocket, Garabaldi stepped away from the nurses station and approached the small ICU room hesitantly. He could hear the beeps from the heart monitor before he stepped through the door, relieved to hear the regular rhythm.

The bed was flat, the left siderail lowered. A small bed-high table, covered with a large white towel, abutted the centre of the left side of the bed. The San Francisco lieutenant lay frighteningly still, a light blue and cream flannelette blanket pulled up to his waist. His left arm was perpendicular to his body, resting on the small table. A large, deep purple bruise covered the entire left side of his chest from his lower ribs to his shoulder; a short clear plastic chest tube protruded from his left side between his ribs. A gauze bandage around his head anchored a dressing on his left temple; an oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth. Four electrode patches connected him to the heart monitor and there was an IV line in the back of his right hand.

Garabaldi stood beside the bed and sighed sadly. He laid a hand on Mike's leg and patted him gently. "It's, ah, it's Phil Garabaldi, Mike. Bob and I heard what happened…" He cleared his throat. "I just want you to know that Steve's okay… he just can't come to see you right now but I'm sure you'll see each other tomorrow…" He lifted his hand and took a step away, preparing to leave, then turned back.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Mike… there's a lotta people that are going to see to that, I promise you…"

With another sad sigh, he left the room.

# # # # #

"So listen, ah, is there anybody you want us to call… you know, your family… Mike's…?" Evans asked with a slight shrug.

Steve shook his head. "No, not for me, thanks. Mike has a daughter at university in Arizona but I really don't think he wants her to know about this… at least not now. She's just going into exams and, well, you know fathers…"

Evans chuckled. "Oh, boy, do I? I have two daughters of my own – one just graduated university – UCLA," he chuckled proudly, "and the youngest just started last fall."

Steve grinned. "Congratulations."

Evans proud fatherly smile turned into a full-blown grin and he tugged at his suit jacket in a seated strut. Then, just as suddenly, his smile disappeared. "Look, Steve, what happened this morning… you had no control over any of it. It just happened… for whatever reason… And don't waste any tears over that guy in the Chevelle. In my opinion, he got what he deserved. Just thank god he didn't take anybody else with him… like you or Mike…

"And Lonsdale? Well, yeah, he's on the run again, but there's a big difference between the first time and this time. The first time nobody was expecting it, and they didn't have the resources to contain things like we can now. And if he tries to leave the country now, it's gonna be a lot harder than it was the first time. There's gonna be a helluva lot more eyes looking for him…" He smiled confidently. "We're gonna get him."

Steve nodded. "I want to be there when we do… especially if Mike can't. I want to be there."

Evans stared at him and nodded once. "Don't worry, you will be." He let the silence settle between them. "Oh, ah, just so you know, one of the Park rangers gave us your gun. So don't worry, it's safe." He winked and heard the other man snort softly.

"Thanks," Steve acknowledged with a bob of his head.

The curtains parted and Garabaldi stepped into the cubicle. He met the two pairs of anxious eyes that spun in his direction with a smile. "You really can relax," he said to Steve with a soft chuckle. "Yes, I saw him, and I talked to the nurses, and they said he's doing great and he'll be moved to a private room sometime tomorrow morning."

"How did he look?" Steve still didn't sound convinced.

Garabaldi shrugged slightly. "Well, like a man who's been in a bad car accident," he started feebly but when both Steve and his partner shot him annoyed looks, he cleared his throat. "Okay, ah, he's got this massive bruise on the left side of his chest and they've got a chest tube in him and his head is bandaged, over the left temple." He gestured vaguely at this own head. "And he's hooked up to a heart machine and oxygen, and an I.V. like you are." He shrugged again.

Steve's eyes narrowed. "That's it?"

Garabaldi frowned. "What do you mean, 'that's it?' Yes, that's it!" He glanced at Evans and back again. "Why?"

Steve sighed in frustration then almost smiled. "That's what the doctor told me, but I just wanted to make sure he wasn't, you know, leaving something out… that's all…"

Both L.A. detectives smiled sympathetically. "No problem," Garabaldi chuckled, "glad I could be of help."

Laughing, Evans got to his feet. "Listen, ah, we better get outa here. We've got a fugitive to catch."

"You bet we do," Garabaldi concurred with a grin, pulling one of the curtains open. He looked back. "You get some sleep and we'll see you sometime tomorrow. Hopefully with some good news. How does that sound?"

Steve smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I could use some right about now."

"Tomorrow," Evans echoed, pointing a forefinger at him as the partners disappeared through the curtains.

Steve dropped his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes. Garabaldi's report on his partner was encouraging, but he knew he wouldn't be able to relax until he saw Mike for himself. He just wasn't sure he was up to it right at the moment.