Thank you for the reviews and alerts! They're very much appreciated.


November 12, 2038

One of the luxuries Andy missed since being undercover was her morning jog. Jason often had her up at odd hours of the night and into the sunrise. This left her to squeeze her running into the evenings, before she was off again on another criminal adventure. She never got to enjoy her mornings the way she wanted to. Now that she was momentarily staying with Hank, that could change.

She woke before the sun and was out the door as it started to show in the sky. She didn't know the area well - Hank moved here after the accident - so she would go around the block and see where it took her from there. She focused on little but her breathing and the music playing in her ears.

In her exercise, she wanted to forget yesterday. Walking away from the Chapman farm had been a mistake. Soon enough, the department would be called back out to the property, or the FBI would take over the case and find it themselves. It was an inevitable discovery, and she just put her career on the line to prolong it.

But staring at the scene inside the farm, she couldn't bring herself to do anything different. She'd seen enough grief, both professionally and personally, to know what that android was going through was real. Worst of all, it was unnecessary, and that thought had kept her up half the night.

A hand around her arm pulled her into an adjacent alleyway, and before she could see anything, she felt an arm wrap across her neck and a cloth press against her face. She held her breath and lashed out at someone taller than her, trying to create space in his grip with one hand and reach for the gun at her waistline with the other. He grabbed her wrist and pulled it away, holding it up to her chest. He dragged her backwards, keeping her from kicking at him until she finally fell unconscious.


When Hank first woke and found Andy gone but her bike in the garage, he assumed she went for a run and would return soon. It was only when he finished getting ready for the day and still saw no sign of her that he started to worry. He stood by a warming coffee maker as he reached for his phone.

It took three rings too many to answer. He was suspicious even as she spoke casually into her phone, "Yeah?"

"Andy, where the hell are you?" He asked.

"I decided to take the day off. Didn't you see my note?"

He turned toward the dining table, looking for this supposed piece of paper. He moved into the living room, finding nothing there either. "What note?"

"The one that said I'm taking some time off," She replied with an annoyed scoff, then mused, "I'm gonna go out to eat, do some shopping. Maybe get a lava lamp."

Hank stopped. "Right," He mumbled. Returning to the kitchen, he shut off his coffee maker and left the mug in its place. "Is this about yesterday?" He went for his car keys, and then toward the front door.

The question was loaded, and so was her response. "No, I've just been undercover for so long. I want cut loose for a little while. I'm playing it by ear today."

He was already starting the car when he asked, "Well, you deserve your free time, I guess. Did you call in?"

"Shit, I forgot. Sorry about that. Tell Richards for me, all right?" Quickly, she added, "And don't bother calling again. I'm turning my phone off."

"Okay. I'll let him know."

"See you, Hank."

In another car in the city, Nick Weaver hung up Andy's phone, and tossed it out the window to the sidewalk. Andy remained still, her hands tied behind her back and a bandana over her eyes. With the sounds of the drive to indicate where she was, she listened and counted, waiting for their next stop.


Connor sat at his desk that morning, staring at the doorway into the precinct bullpen. Hank had actually been to work on time the past two days, and it was no coincidence that it'd been two days since Andy was sleeping on his couch. It was an influence he was pleased to note, not that he would be sharing it with the lieutenant any time soon.

Hank came running into the department at that moment, about half an hour early. He ignored Connor on his way to the SID office, and Connor noticed Andy's distinct absence. Something was wrong.

He followed Hank into the office where Richards sat his desk, and jolted in surprise at their entrance. "Weaver's got Andy," Hank told them, almost out of breath as he marched across the room.

The sensation that ran through Connor at this news was vaguely familiar, in a very unpleasant way. It was concern. It was the unknown mixed with a helplessness that he couldn't stand. He knew this was going to happen, and a small part of him wanted to be angry about it.

The lieutenants were speaking. He hadn't even noticed that Hank was explaining the morning's events to Richards. "She was missing this morning so I called her. She used her code word."

"Did she say anything else?" Richards asked.

"She's tied up. Blindfolded," Hank shrugged shoulders full of tension, "They have control of her phone. It's probably on the side of the road somewhere by now."

Richards had shifted into a professional mode Connor hadn't personally seen. Where the man often held himself with little energy and spoke calmly, now his expression was hardened and focused. Nodding, he stood and headed for the door, "We'll still track it. I'll let Fowler know what's going on; he can put out an alert."

"Hey-" Hank pointed to him, calling out, "And get Perkins on this. He may as well make himself useful if he's gonna be here."

The door shut behind Richards, leaving them in a stiff silence. Connor's LED was a stable red as he watched Hank try not to pace in the office. "Lieutenant-"

"Damn it!" He cursed loudly, a balled up fist jerking through the air. "I knew this was going to happen the minute we started this sting!"

"Lieutenant," Connor repeated.

His firm tone pulled Hank's attention to him. The man turned, exclaiming, "What?!"

Connor returned the stare with one of his own, his much more controlled. "We need to focus right now, and find Detective Hope."


After a nerve-wracking drive, Andy felt the car coming to a jerky stop. She could hear Nick climb out of the car, slamming his door behind him and sending vibrations through the backseat that made her jump. She didn't have to wait long, as the door at her left opened and a rough hand pulled her out to her feet.

The barrel of a gun was pressed against the small of her back, and she felt a breath at her ear. "Fight me and get a bullet in your spine."

She couldn't resist making a comment at this. "Is that not the plan anyway?"

The gun jabbed at her, pushing her forward. Her footsteps were hard, and she could feel the bottoms of her shoes scraping against pavement. The sounds of cars and city trucks were just behind them, and mixed in with that was another vehicle, pulling into a lot. Just before he start leading her down a set of stairs, she made out the sound of doors opening, metal extending, and a set of wheels rolling across concrete.

Andy was certain of it: they were in the subway. Every movement echoed throughout a long, empty hall, where so much as a pen drop was a scream. They walked the length of the upper floor, then descended to the lower level, and across a large room.

He opened a door and urged her inside. They took only a few steps into the room when she was pushed down by her shoulder, and landed on a metal chair.

"Tie her there," Nick said to someone else in the room.

The voice that responded was recognized as Sam, Nick's android assistant. "Yes, Sir."

Sam stepped forward, and Andy felt the binds at her wrists being undone. As she didn't know who else was there, or if Nick was even still there, she allowed this to happen without a fight. He was gentle as he moved her arms outward and tied her wrists to the armrests of the chair. Before he pulled away, a slender metal object was slipped into the palm of her right hand.

Quickly realizing it was a pocket knife, she closed her fist around it to hide it from view.

A second later, the blindfold over her eyes was ripped off, and she was face to face with Nick Weaver. She examined her surroundings in the small subway office she sat in. Old papers and boxes were scattered across the desk and floor, and half a poster was still stuck to the wall to her right. There was little else, and no opportunity to use her surroundings to her advantage.

"Where the hell have you brought me, Weaver?" She asked, hoping the look of distaste would strike a nerve.

It did. He glared at her with an anger only reserved for those he hated the most. "Is this not glamorous enough for you, Detective?" He spat, "Unfortunately my house has crime scene tape around it."

It was the least he deserved. The dark circles under his eyes had her wondering, with mild glee, if he'd slept at all since he was on the run. For a moment, she felt like she had the upper hand again. "That's gotta tank the property value," She mused.

Leaning down, he pushed his gun into her chest. A reminder that he was running the show. She tried to appear unfazed, but she tilted her head away from him, the arrogance leaving her. He stared at her, saying, "Your humor isn't cute anymore."

"So what's your plan from here?" She asked, swallowing the knot in her throat.

He shrugged, as though it was a ridiculous question. "I dump you in the river and take off," He answered, huffing, "You think I'm sittin' on some big plan here? I just want to see you dead."

It wasn't quite the monologue she'd hoped to weasel out of him. As he turned away from her, her brows shot up and she nodded, mumbling, "Fair enough."


"I don't care if Jesus came down there and put a phone in Hart's hands, you fucking pick up a phone and you call me!"

From the DPD bullpen, Hank and Connor watched through the windows of Fowler's office as he yelled into his phone. He hadn't even bothered to frost the glass, and his temper was seeping through the walls, making nearby officers uneasy.

Hank and Connor's own glowering didn't help much. They'd been growing more tense over the past five minutes, waiting for Richards to return with news as they dug through their files for any clue that could help.

"I guess we know how Weaver found her," Hank muttered, standing over his desk.

Connor shook his head, "But where did he take her?" He turned away from the office with a scowl, his body a bundle of nerves. "We have to know something."

Hank shrugged and held up his work tablet, waving it for emphasis. "Nothing Hart gave us led to anything that points at Weaver - just his suppliers."

Around the corner came Richards, holding a thick folder in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. "Perkins is bringing them all in now," He interjected, stopping behind Hank's desk. With a shrug, he admitted, "It's gonna sting later giving him credit for that, but I think I'll get over it."

"SID find anything?" Hank asked with little patience.

Richards dropped the bag he was holding onto the desk. Through the plastic, they could see Andy's cellphone. The back had been lost, while the screen was flattened, cracked, and bent. "We tracked its GPS. Looked like she was going for a run when she got pulled into a car. They tossed the phone a block later."

Hank briefly remembered the conversation he had with Andy after the operation. Nick had a personal android, and Andy had reason to believe they stayed together. "What about Weaver's android? Uh, Sam, I think," He shrugged, unsure of the name but excited about the lead, "Can we track him?"

It was good enough for Richards, who nodded and began to walk away. "I'll see what we can do."

Hank turned to talk to Connor but stopped. He seemed to be staring hard at his desk, his brows furrowed in thought and his LED cycling through yellow. Hank called out to him, and he jolted, looking up at the lieutenant with big eyes.

"The hospital," Connor began, leaning forward. "When Detective Hope broke into your house, she told you she couldn't go to the hospital."

"Because Weaver's got eyes there." Slapping a hand down on Connor's shoulder, Hank bolted for the doorway. "Come on!"


Nick worked quietly at the desk against the far wall. His back was facing Andy, whatever he was doing hidden from her view. She tried to lean side to side for a glimpse, but all she could make out was his gun sitting on the counter, and a small white box.

Sam stood at the wall on her right. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he stared straight ahead, as if tuning out his surroundings. Huffing to herself, she asked, "Seeing as you haven't shot me yet, I guess you have some big idea on how to kill me?"

Nick chuckled. "Well, I have been thinking about it. Shooting you seemed a bit too generous."

He turned and approached her with a strip of rubber. She stared at it, puzzled, until he leaned down in front of her. Her eyes went wide as he tightened a tourniquet around her arm. He pulled hard on either end and grinned as her casual veneer chipped away. "Figure out the plot twist yet, Detective?"

Laughing to himself, he stood and went to his desk. Once he couldn't see her, she released a gasp she'd been holding. She struggled to stay calm, but all she could focus on was how the rubber burned her skin. Her breathing was growing hard and panicked, and her body was cold with a fear she hadn't felt since her father went missing. It was a fear she still didn't know how to handle. She couldn't see a way out of this.

Plucking a needle from the desk, he returned to her in the middle of the room. Red ice sat inside a clear tube, and the sight almost made her heart stop. She pulled at her restraints as he brought the syringe closer, holding down her wrist to try to keep her steady.

The needle touched her skin, and then the power went out.

She didn't know what happened or why, but she wasn't going to stick around to find out. With the needle still just at the surface of her skin, she popped out the knife that sat safely in her palm. There was a single string of rope at her wrist, and it didn't take long to cut.

Nick stood straight. The second she felt the needle move off her arm, she reached up and drove the knife into a warm body. Nick yelled in pain, reeling away and taking the knife with him.

"Bitch!"

Her chair toppled over to the side; rather than try to slap her in the dark, Nick had simply shoved her. Her shoulder hit the ground, and she went to pull the rope off her other arm as Nick scrambled for his phone. A light turned on from the device, and he flashed it over the desk, looking for his gun.

Free of her binds, Andy clamored to her feet and crashed into his back. She brought him down to the floor and reached up over him, snatching the gun off the table. She ran for the office door, knowing Nick would have the firearm he took from her somewhere nearby. "Stay here," She heard him yell toward Sam, his footsteps pounding on the concrete not far behind her.


Pulling up to the hospital, Hank and Connor exited the car and began their rush for the front doors. An ambulance was parked out front, its back doors wide open and its stretcher gone.

Connor slowed down, catching sight of the alley to the side of the hospital. At the end of the path was an entrance to an old subway line. It'd been decommissioned after the above-ground railway was upgraded, and various entrances were situated throughout the city, tucked away between newer buildings.

The perfect highway for a man hiding from police, and just as good a place to take a hostage. It was a gamble, but it was one Connor was willing to take. He veered off his path, long strides carrying him to the alley.

"Hey! Hey!" Connor stopped at Hank's yelling, but his eyes remained glued to the end of the alley. Hank moved in front of him, obstructing his view. "Where are you going?"

"They're in the subway," He said, his voice strained.

An attempt to walk around Hank was futile as the man held up his hand. "We don't know that- the subway's been closed down for years. You're not going down there until we find his accomplice and get backup," Hank argued.

Connor looked hard at Hank. This was not up for debate. "I'm going now," He insisted, taking a long step around and moving forward.

"Connor-!"

Stopping, the android turned and leaned in, breaking past Hank's personal space. "You asked me to keep an eye on her, Hank, so that's what I'm doing!" Connor yelled, surprising even himself a little bit. They stared at one another only a second before he swallowed nothing, and lowered his voice. "I'm going to save her."

Whatever he wanted to say, be it about Connor's attitude or the risk that he was wrong, Hank wisely chose to keep it to himself. Connor was sure about this, and at the end of the day, Hank trusted him. He pulled his gun from its holster, and held it toward Connor. "I'll be down there as soon as I can."


In the lowest level of the subway, the unstable flashing from Nick's phone was just enough light for Andy to see the room outside the office. There were columns throughout the space, and to the right was the subway rails. She was able to make out the closest column to her, and she ducked behind it a second before he fired off a shot from her gun.

She threw her back against the concrete, taking a moment to inhale a deep breath. Lifting a shaky hand, she took hold of her tourniquet and yanked it off her arm, the circulation returning to her arm a minimal relief in the current situation. She moved both her hands to the gun, using her grip on the handle to steel herself.

"Where the fuck are you?"

Glancing out, she saw Nick's phone facing a different direction. She shot at him and ran for another pillar further away. When there was no yell from his end, and the light continued to move, she knew she'd missed.

"Just give this up, Weaver! You're not catching me again," She yelled back.

A blind gunshot made her jump, and she heard the bullet strike a different column elsewhere in the room. She returned fire only once and then ran for the stairs, taking two at a time. The sound alerted him to her location and he attempted to shoot at the stairs, but it was wild aim, and he hit the wall and the ground behind her.

At the top of the stairs, she swung around the corner and ran face first into another body. They both stumbled, and he reached for her arms as she reeled back, preparing for a fight. It was the LED and the fabric of his blazer that she recognized in the darkness.

"Connor!"

The relief that washed over her - and admittedly, Connor himself - was almost enough to bring her to her knees. She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug that he was fast to return. Despite the tension in her muscles, he could feel a tremble coming from her that encouraged him to squeeze tighter.

It was a moment that felt like a lifetime, but it was only a few seconds before Andy snapped back into action. She pulled away from him but grabbed his wrist, pulling him after her. They moved from the stairs, Andy hiding them behind a wall in a nook with old, dusty benches.

She leaned around the wall, waiting for the light of Nick's phone to emerge on this floor. Meanwhile, Connor was looking over her form, his eyes faring much better than hers were in the darkness. Aside from bruises at her wrists, and a line of red circled her arm, she appeared fine. "Are you hurt?" He whispered.

"No," She quickly replied, shaking her head. "Who else is here?"

"Hank's in the hospital. Police and the FBI are on their way."

Even in the emergency they were in, it wasn't lost on her that he'd called Hank by name. This was a development she would have to remember to tease him about later. And did he say FBI? "Perkins is coming?" She brushed off the surprise, telling him, "Nick's using my gun. It's got a modified clip, so there are seven shots left."

"What about you?"

"I should have four."

When the light of Nick's phone inched over the stairs, she leaned back. He stalked down the hallway, and as he neared them, she clutched Connor's hand. Nick strode past, and they waited a while longer, until they felt relatively safe enough to leave.

She tapped his arm twice to let him to know to follow her, and then went out into the hall. Rather than head straight for the exit, they descended the stairs from where she came. Connor leaned down to whisper, "Why aren't we leaving?"

"He'll just take off and we'll never find him," She answered, hand sliding along the railing, "Right now, he's going to turn the power back on, so we need to make him work for it until backup gets here."

Once they hit the floor, she grabbed hold of his arm again and ran her free hand against the wall to guide her. Connor suspected her grip on him was more for her own sense of security than it was anything else, so he was quiet, and let her lead him.

They were almost to the opposite end of the space when the lights flickered on. They began to look up, when they spotted the assistant android, Sam. He'd left the office, and seemed as though he was on the hunt for someone. Connor moved to step in front of Andy, blocking her from his path, but she held out her hand to stop him. When he glanced back at her, she shook her head.

"We're good," She assured him.

Sam's LED faltered between red and yellow as he shifted on his feet. Casting his eyes down, he spoke, though his voice was soft and nervous. "I wanted to warn you. And I tried to keep the lights off- I'm- I'm so sorry."

Andy had begun to approach him, a soothing hand hovering near his arm. "We don't have time," She nodded to the room in the corner, telling him, "Go back into the office and wait until this is over-"

A gunshot ringing out sent them all to the ground, Andy pulling Sam with her. They hid behind the column nearest Connor, where he'd been blocked from Nick's view. Connor moved to aim his gun around the corner, but Andy grabbed his arm. "Don't - he doesn't know you're here yet."

She nudged Sam toward the office, and he nodded in acknowledgement. Standing to his feet, Sam made a run for the door. Before Nick could act, Andy fired twice in his direction. Nick yelled out, and she swore she heard the faint sound of bullet hitting skin. As Sam hunkered down behind another column, Andy got a glimpse of Nick catching his balance as blood started to seep through the denim at his thigh.

Andy returned to her hiding spot beside Connor. Removing the clip from her gun, she held it toward Connor, saying, "Switch with me." Connor did as he was asked, removing Hank's clip. They exchanged them, sliding them back into their respective firearms. "You have two shots. Work your way around and wait until he's distracted to get his attention from behind," She looked at him, stressing, "Don't kill him."

This was not a good plan. Connor shook his head, a new burst of panic energizing him. "This is too dangerous. You're already previously injured. You should let me be the distraction."

"I'm ordering you!" She snapped. Before he could argue, she left her cover and ran for the next pillar, narrowly avoiding another shot. In the back of her mind, she was keeping count: He's got five left.

Reluctantly, Connor used the time Nick was focused on Andy to move to closer to the man. On the other side of Andy, Sam was also taking this as an opportunity to get closer to the office. When Nick aimed for him, Andy provided cover with another shot.

Nick ducked behind a pillar. "Shoulda known you broke bad, Sam!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the room. "You're gonna be the main ingredient in this bitch's overdose now!"

It was a threat that left a bad taste in Andy's mouth, and would echo in her mind in the late hours of the night. For now, though, she had no time to dwell on those words. They did this dance one last time, shuffling around the room as Andy shot once, and Nick fired off twice. Sam was one more round away from the office, and Connor was close enough to shoot if needed. Andy just needed to get into place.

It wouldn't be hard to do, as Nick came out of cover, laughing. "All right, come out. I know that was your last shot," He called into the seemingly empty space.

Swallowing her nerves, Andy stood and took a slow step out from behind a column. She held her hands halfway up in the air, facing a smug Nick twenty feet away. "What was that about not catching you again?" He asked, holding her at the end of her own gun, "Put the damn thing down."

She knelt down and lowered the gun to the ground, slow in her movements. Behind him, Connor moved from his hiding spot, aiming directly at the man's head. "Put your hands up, Nick."

Startled by the new voice, Nick spun around. He recognized Connor right away, and his eyes went wide. Glancing to the gun in Connor's hands, he snorted. "I don't take orders from plastic," He snarled.

His body tensed to fire at Connor, but Andy was prepared, and she was quicker. She held up the gun from the ground in front of her, firing three close rounds into his chest.

Nick was stunned. He swayed as he looked over his bleeding form, and then back to Andy. Wordlessly, he collapsed to the ground. Even as he lay there, everyone remained where they were. The new silence in the air was tense and worried. Was it really over?

Finally, Andy let out a sigh of relief. She watched him one more beat before standing up. Sam was approaching her, but her mind was stuck on the body in the room. After everything he'd done, everything she had to witness over the years, he deserved this. It wasn't the end, though. Jason still had to be dealt with, suppliers still needed to be found. There was still the feeling of a tourniquet on her arm.

Across from her, Connor lowered his gun. Yet again, though for different reasons, he was speechless. The roller coaster of emotions that had been running through him since that morning were all crashing down, and he felt a bit like an empty shell now: weak and exhausted, and more than that, overwhelmed. This wasn't right.

"Are you okay?"

Andy nodded at Sam, tearing her gaze away from Nick to look at him. "Thanks for the knife," She mumbled.

He eyed Connor, knowing full well who the detective android was and what Connor's presence could mean for him. "What... What's going to happen to me?"

"We'll figure that out." She nudged his arm to catch his attention, and forced a grin. "Hey, I got your back."

He tried to smile despite his concern, but it was faint, and it died quickly. He began to speak again when he caught movement from the side of his eye. Nick was still alive, although barely, and was moving the gun he held onto with what little life he had left.

"No!"

It all happened in a blur. Sam pulled Andy behind him as Nick fired off a single shot before losing the last of his strength. Connor jumped into action, kicking the gun away from Nick and aiming down at him just in case. Andy stumbled to catch her balance, unable to stop what was happening.

Sam was hit. Andy caught him as he fell, and lowered his shaking body to the ground. An expression numb with shock, Andy kept her arms around him, holding on tight. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. How could she have been so stupid? "Sam- No- Sam-" She shifted him to reach for the wound in his chest, trying to look at the damage and fix what was forever broken. "No, come on, stay with me, Sam. Stay with me."

What sounded like a horde of footsteps ran through the subway, growing louder as a group of SWAT and FBI officers rushed down the stairs. Hank was at the front of the line, a new gun in his hands. As they descended into the room, he stopped. He lowered his weapon, taking in the sight of his shaken partners, and the two dead bodies between them.


Hank and Connor stood in the hallway, right outside a hospital room. Inside was Andy, speaking with a doctor. Several yards down the hall was Richards, talking to a group of SWAT officers, and the hospital's lawyer. It appeared to be a heated discussion.

"We found his accomplice. Some nurse on his payroll," Hank scoffed, breaking the silence that lingered. It was bad enough being back inside a hospital, but the thought of a medical professional working for a red ice dealer - that was a disgust that ran deep, and it would unsettle him for a few days more. He would distract himself with his worry for his partners, one of whom stood beside him. "You... Are you okay?"

Connor's stare never strayed from the door. He was angry, and the tight jaw showed it. "I should have been faster. I should have been watching him," He scolded himself with a shake of his head. "He would have killed her if that android didn't step in."

"He didn't kill her."

It was weak consolation. It wouldn't have been good enough for Hank, and it wasn't good enough for Connor either. "He almost did!" Connor snapped, raising his voice.

It wasn't the first time that day he'd yelled at someone, but it surprised Hank all the same. Connor was on the verge - balancing on the tiniest of edges - of losing his composure entirely. He was as upset as any human officer would have been, and Hank wasn't stupid. He knew what that meant.

Connor was still clinging to a falsehood, though, and Hank wouldn't be the one to rock the boat. "You saved Andy's life, Connor," He told the android. With a small nod, he added, "I won't forget that." It was reassurance for an uncertain future, and hopefully Connor would realize it one day.

The door to the room in front of them opened. They turned as the doctor left, nodding to Hank in small greeting before walking away. Andy remained inside, and they could see her in a chair in the corner beside the window. Hank and Connor both moved to enter the room, but Hank held out a hand, blocking Connor's path. This time, Hank would handle things alone. Connor stepped back, recognizing it for what it was.

Inside the room, Andy rested her elbows on her knees, wringing hands recently stained blue. She would shower tonight as many times as it would take to not see that anymore. Hank pulled another chair across the room, placing it beside hers. He sat do and said nothing, instead waiting for her to speak.

"Sam found my badge seven months ago," She confessed quietly. Shaking her head, she added, "I don't know if he was already deviant or that's when it happened, but he just... handed it back."

If this had happened a few weeks ago, before Connor and the rise of deviancy, Hank would have yelled at her for this. He would have said she was compromised, and trusting an android was foolish. Now, he felt he understood. "He was your source," He concluded.

Wiping a tear that managed to roll down her cheek, Andy nodded. She was not willing to break down here, in public, with Hank and Connor and Richards around her. "We should- um- We should go," She murmured, jumping to her feet. Hank stood slowly, watching her try to stay collected and focused. "Did they get the nurse who worked with him? I think her name's Maya? Or- Or something-"

"Andy, stop." He placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to look him in the eye. "Look at me," He said, tone firm to break through her insistence on pretending everything was okay.

She faced him, and he maintained eye contact with her. He didn't know what to say, but he also knew he didn't need to say anything. He just needed her to stop, to slow down and let herself be. He needed to know she wasn't hurt, that they weren't going to go home and she'd end up worse.

When her expression started to crack, he sighed and moved a hand behind her neck. He pulled her in to a hug, mumbling, "God, you scared the hell out of me, kid."

It took her a moment to accept it, but finally she wrapped her arms around him. She argued every which way against crying in her head - it wasn't professional, it didn't solve anything, it was embarrassing. Then she caught the blue on her fingertips again, and it brought forth the sob she'd been trying to choke back. Hank said nothing more, holding her as she let herself mourn.