Brenda watched them through the glass wall. It felt like she had just been here yesterday, not like it had been six weeks since Jackson had been shot in her Murder Room. But it had been. The surgery had gone well, his rehab was progressing and things had seemed to calm down for the Raydor family. Until today. Until holy hell had let loose on them again, and now Sharon was in the hospital. Gawd, why couldn't anything be simple with them?

Brenda didn't know if she could do this.

She and Sharon had become friends. It didn't change their behavior towards one another at work but once a case was finished … Brenda was starting to learn to let go; to accept that at the end of the case it was no longer in her hands. She was learning that by watching Sharon. That woman could compartmentalize like it was nobody's business. She had to, she told Brenda. Because she had a family she had to take care of, so when she was home they were her main focus; and when she was at work, she focused on work. For her, keeping the two separate allowed her to make both work. And she was exceptional at both of them.

But now the two had overlapped. Sharon had shot and killed someone, her father actually, while off duty at her own home. The head of FID couldn't very well be investigated by her own team and good old Chief Pope (he had certainly turned into a real bastard after being appointed Chief of Police following Delk's death …) He had assigned Major Crimes to handle the investigation while following FID rules and regs. They had to operate under the 72 hour time frame that Sharon always sited in order to take over a case. Brenda didn't like it one bit. Her time was ticking away, Sharon was unconscious, her youngest daughter was terrified and refused to leave her side and that boy … that boy was just as traumatized.

The sound of the door to her room sliding open drew Brenda's attention. She looked up to find Jackson stepping towards her but, she looked back to Sharon quickly. She watched as Ally curled up next to her mother in the bed and that boy sat in the corner of the room. He was terrified of getting anywhere near the other two but it was obvious he couldn't take his eyes off of them either.

"What do you want to know," Jack asked as he stood next to her.

"What I want to know and what I need to know aren't the same right now," Brenda sighed heavily.

Jack chuckled. "You sound like Sharon right now. You'll learn to hate that 72 hour time frame in a whole new way now that you have to follow it." Jack sighed softly, almost as if reminiscing. "She's sniper qualified."
"Excuse me," Brenda asked as she looked to the man.

"Back when Emily and Rick were little Sharon used to go to the base shooting range with me. She didn't like to spend more time then she had to at work and I had just gotten a promotion … They gave me permission for her to join at the shooting range – it was the only time we really got to see each other. The Marines wanted to train me as a sniper but I never qualified. Sharon tried to help, she's always been the better shot. The instructors saw how good she was and ended up ranking her along with the rest of us … she wasn't in the Marines, and therefore not actually in the training program but she had the best scores out of all of us.

"The Marines tried to get her to join but she refused. She likes being a cop and she was damn good at homicide for the short stint that she worked it. But, the promotion brought a change in assignment for me and Sharon had just moved to IA. She figured it was safer, and if I wasn't going to be just a lawyer for them anymore she said the kids had to know that at least one of us would always come home … " Jack sighed again, this time painfully as they both thought about his time as MIA.

"She never told anyone at the LAPD about being qualified … she always said there was no need for an IA officer to be qualified. I know my wife. She never said it but I know she worried about what it would mean if they found out. Women were still looked down on back then but the government was offering big funding to get women in diverse assignments. If they found out they would have pulled her out of IA. It wouldn't have been good for the kids, wouldn't have provided the stability she wanted them to have … I've already contacted General Trump, he was the sniper instructor back then. He's going to send over his files on Sharon. She's kept up her qualification after all these years."

"So when she took that shot," Brenda started. "She knew exactly what she was doing."

"Yup, but then Sharon always does."

Brenda snorted at that before she turned back to the trio in the room.

Why couldn't things ever be simple with these people?

Just a few hours earlier ...

They pulled up to the Raydor house to find uniform officers already setting up a perimeter. Sharon was standing in the front yard, rifle in hand as she aimed the weapon at her father. Sharon hadn't mentioned him since that day at the hospital but clearly the man hadn't left.

And clearly he was crazy.

There was a teenage boy Brenda had never seen before holding Ally tightly while she cried. Sharon's father had one arm wrapped around the shoulder of the boy with his other arm wrapped around Ally, allowing him to press the blade of a very large knife against her neck. "The cavalry is here Sharon, why don't you put down that gun." The way he said it … he wasn't asking. The man was trying to order her.

"This isn't just a gun," Sharon offered, her position not changing in the slightest. "This is an M1A tactical rifle; and, as long as you are holding my children hostage I will continue to aim this right at your head."

"I doubt the other officers like that idea Sharon. After all they have trained men who I am certain are a better shot then you are."

"You always were very good at underestimating me," Sharon offered in an eerily steady tone. "I assure you, other than Detective Sanchez there isn't anyone in the LAPD that is a better shot than I am."

"Then take your shot Sharon," he laughed. "Save your children all by yourself and put down your dear old Dad in the process."

"Let go of my children and I won't have to shoot you." That wasn't what he wanted to hear, that was evident in his expression. If Brenda had to guess he was trying to draw Sharon's ire, trying to make her mess up. Did that man not know how controlled she was?

"But you want to, you and I both know that. After all you lost your first child because I pushed you down the stairs. You were right about that. I was glad the bastard child died. But it clearly wasn't enough. All of my problems would have been solved if you had just broken your damn neck. You were such a brat Sharon. You got pregnant at sixteen! What did you expect me to do?!"

"Ally," Sharon offered in a calm tone. "Close your eyes baby."

"Close her eyes! What good will closing her eyes do?" He was shouting now, screaming at Sharon but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Ally, do as I say baby, just close your eyes."

Brenda watched as Ally closed her eyes but tears continued to roll down her face. "Closing her eyes won't protect her Sharon!" Her father pushed the blade harder into Ally's neck and blood began to trickle down in a thin line.

"MOMMY!" Ally kept her eyes closed as she cried.

"Keep your eyes closed baby. Rusty," Sharon began. "Just stay calm honey. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah," he croaked out in fear.

"I'm going to kill your precious baby girl Sharon. I'm going to kill her and this brat you've taken in. I'm going to kill all of your bastard children just like I killed Joyce and then … then I'm coming for you!"

There was a resounding crack from the rifle in Sharon's hands and then her father was falling back, away from the children. "Rusty," Jackson cried from beside Provenza. "Run!"

With Ally still in his arms Rusty sprinted towards Sharon and she handed her weapon over to an approaching officer without hesitation before she took Rusty and Ally into her arms. As other officers approached her father Sharon pulled the kids away and passed the police vehicles towards the ambulance. Brenda trotted after her with the rest of Major Crimes and Jackson in tow.

At the ambulance Sharon was cajoling Ally so that the paramedics could look at her neck. "Baby you have to let them look at your neck okay? I need to know if you're okay."

"NO! MOMMY DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"Shh, shh baby. I'm not going anywhere. See, I'm going to stay right here with you and Rusty. We're both going to stay right here and when they're done looking you over they're going to check Rusty too."

"Promise you won't leave," Ally whimpered. It wasn't as if she could, Brenda thought. Ally still had her legs wrapped around Rusty's waist and her arms thrown around her mother's neck. Sharon had one hand on Ally's back as she tried to soothe the child and her other arm wrapped around Rusty's shoulders, trying to comfort him too.

"Ally," Jack tried to offer comfort and keep his worry hidden. "Mommy is going to stay right where she is with Rusty. You'll be able to see them the whole time. But the paramedics need you to climb up onto the bed so they can look at you. I'm gonna climb up first okay?"

"Okay," Ally mumbled into Sharon's neck.

Jack moved forward and placed a kiss on Sharon's temple before the paramedics helped him into the back of the ambulance. After a few more tears they pulled Ally off of Rusty and Sharon carried her to the paramedics. They finally got her to let go of Sharon before they promptly sat her in Jack's lap.

"Rusty," Sharon offered as she took his hand in hers. "Honey, are you hurt at all?"

"No," he whispered before he cleared his throat. "No Sharon, I'm okay."

"Honey I am so sorry," she offered sadly.

"Sharon, I'm okay. I don't really think Ally was hurt that bad either. But hey … next time you shot a man that's holding me hostage could you give me a warning or something? I think I had a heart attack."

Sharon tugged on his hand until she pulled him into her arms and she wrapped him up tightly. "I know you aren't one for hugs, but Rusty … shut up and just let me hug you."

"Okay," Rusty offered as he held Sharon impossibly close. After everything it seemed he didn't mind the hug so much.

"You're up kid." The two didn't move at the paramedics words and after a long pause Brenda moved forward and placed a hand gently on Sharon's arm.

"Okay," Sharon said as she pulled away. "Let them take a look."

"But Sharon –"

"Rusty." All it took was that one word and the boy rolled his eyes before he let the paramedic look at him. They stayed outside of the ambulance while the other paramedic was still inside with Jack and Ally.

"Alright," the paramedic with Rusty said. "You're good. Ma'am, your son isn't injured and your daughter's injury is minimal. We still want to take her to the hospital –"

"Yes, of course," Sharon agreed quickly but she took a deep, slow breath. "But I need to give my statement to the officers."

"Mommy?" Everyone looked up to the bed to find Ally had crawled towards the foot and was watching Sharon closely.

"Honey, you need to go to the hospital so they can change out that white gauze for those hello kitty band aids you like."

"But Mommy, we have some here," Ally tried to reason.

"No honey, I think we're all out. I need to stay here –"

"But!"

"Ally," Sharon sighed softly as she climbed up into the ambulance and kissed Ally's forehead. "I'll be right behind you. But I have to talk to the other officers first. Daddy will go with you."

"Me too," Rusty said from where he stood nearby Brenda.

"See? Rusty will go with you too. But honey, you're safe now. I have to go do my job, okay?"

Ally nodded her head before she climbed back over to Jack and started to cry in earnest again. Sharon followed, kissing Ally on the head and then giving Jackson a quick kiss before she climbed out of the ambulance. She squeezed Rusty's shoulder before he climbed into the ambulance and then they closed the doors. As they drove off Sharon ran a hand through her hair before she turned back to Brenda. "My other kids –"

"Ricky's got the others," Flynn piped up. "They are keeping them on the other side of the police line."

"I saw Eddie and Claire with them," Provenza offered.

"Good," Sharon sighed. "That's good." She closed her eyes and swayed.

Brenda rushed to steady her with both hands. "Sharon?!"

Sharon blinked her eyes quickly. "I don't –" She never finished those words because the next thing Brenda knew Sharon was unconscious in her arms.

"I got her Chief," Sanchez offered quickly as he pulled Sharon into her arms and slowly laid her down. Provenza yelled for another ambulance and Brenda hoped that the second ambulance she saw staging on their way in hadn't already cleared.

"MOM!" Everyone looked up to find a young woman with strawberry blond hair running towards them, and dodging the officers that tried to stop her with ease."What happened?"

"She passed out," Brenda offered gently as she saw the other ambulance pull up.

"Oh! Lay her on her right." Sanchez did as the woman instructed and continued to cushion her head in his hands.

"What have we got," a paramedic asked as he came over.

"She passed out," the woman offered. "She's pregnant."

"Excuse me," Brenda asked as she looked at the woman closer. But she didn't answer Brenda. Instead the woman answered the paramedics' questions. In no time at all they had Sharon loaded on a gurney and the woman was scurrying into the back of the ambulance right after Sharon.

Brenda couldn't help but feel numb at the day's events. Sharon Raydor's children had been taken hostage, she had shot the bastard before SWAT could get set up and try to take the shot themselves, and now she was passed out in the back of an ambulance … and pregnant!

Why couldn't that woman do anything simple?