A/N: So sorry for not updating sooner. I had planned to update several chapters before Christmas, but I haven't had a chance to even get online for the past week. Whose bright idea was it to buy a house the week before Christmas anyway??? There is one last chapter to this one, and chapters almost completed for three other WIPs. Thanks for your patience and enjoy :-)

After a brief argument, Logan left Eames with Barek to wait for the paramedics while he and the other two detectives hit the street, looking for Goren and Wallace. "Alex?" Logan said into the wire. "Does he have his phone with him?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because that's gonna be the fastest way to find him." He dialed and waited for Goren to answer, knowing on some level that he wouldn't, whether he was able to or not. "Of course he won't answer the damn thing. I swear, if he turns it off, I'll kill him. Warren, Chelovik, listen for his phone."

He dialed again as they headed off in different directions, listening intently for the sound of a ringing cell phone.

Logan turned down the quiet side street as Goren's line went to voicemail again. "Shit!"

"What is it, Mike?"

"Nothing. I just wish this damn thing would ring longer."

He dialed again. Then he heard the faint ring. He ran toward the sound, which stopped as he got to the opening to the alley. He shoved his phone in his pocket when he saw a form on the ground in the alley and ran toward it. "I found him."

"How is he?"

He dropped to his knees beside his friend. "He's unconscious..." He searched for an injury, but couldn't find one. "I can't find anything wrong, but he's barely breathing."

Eames' voice was worried. "Look for a needle mark. That's one of her M.O.'s."

Logan pulled a penlight from his pocket. "Would he have let her get that close?"

She made an odd sound he couldn't identify over the wire. "You're kidding, right? Bobby thinks he's invincible. Where are his cuffs?"

He shined the light around on the ground. "Oh, damn. There's a syringe on the ground right by his cuffs." He pushed Goren's jacket open and ran the light over his shirt. "Yeah, I got some blood on his shirt. Any idea what could have been in that syringe?"

"Not a clue."

Barek's voice came over the wire. "Where are you, Mike? The paramedics just got here; I'll send them right over."

"One street over to the west, turn north and we're in an alley."

"They'll be right there."

One paramedic stayed with Eames while the other followed Logan's directions to the alley. Logan looked up as he turned into the alley. "I don't like this," he muttered as the paramedic dropped to his knees opposite him. "I'm not sure he's still breathing."

The paramedic yanked out his stethoscope and listened intently. "He is, but only barely. Any idea what happened?"

He yanked his first aid box open as Logan answered, "Not a clue. He got injected with something by a suspect." He moved away as he pulled out a pair of gloves and snapped them on. Picking up the syringe, he carefully slipped it into an evidence bag, which he kept in his hand. He slid Goren's cuffs into his jacket pocket, then turned his attention back to the paramedic, who was talking into his radio. Logan only caught a few words—apneic...bagging him...suspected drug overdose...

He knelt beside Goren, still holding the evidence bag carefully as he watched the paramedic bag him to help him breathe. His eyes were dark with worry and guilt. "We'll meet you at the hospital. I have the syringe the suspect used, but I have to keep it in evidence. We'll turn it over to the docs in the ER. Where are you taking him?"

"St. Clare's is closest. They may transfer him from there, but that's not our call."

Eames' voice sounded in his ear, startling him. He'd forgotten about the wire he wore. "Mike, what's going on?"

"How are you feeling, Alex?"

"I'm all right. How's Bobby?"

"He's not all right. Hold on." He looked at the paramedic. "You taking his partner in, too?"

"Yeah. We can take 'em together. His condition doesn't seem to be deteriorating."

He turned back to the wire. "Where are you, Alex?"

"Just getting into the ambulance."

"Then you'll be heading over here to pick him up. You're going to St. Clare's. We'll meet you there."

Logan looked up as his partner's hand came to rest on his shoulder. He hadn't noticed her approach. Flashing red emergency lights lit up the alley seconds later, and he spoke into the wire. "That about wraps it up, boys. Paperwork time. Barek and I will be heading to the hospital to follow up on everything. We'll give Deakins a call. Thanks for the backup."

Not far away, Nicole Wallace watched the activity, well hidden in the shadows of a recessed doorway. After the ambulance left and the other detectives got into their cars and drove off, she stepped out onto the street and walked away, free.

Deakins stepped into the triage room where Eames sat at her partner's bedside, her head bandaged. "How do you feel, Alex?"

"My head hurts, but I'm okay. They said it's a concussion, but not serious."

"And what do they say about him?"

"He's better. They're analyzing the residue from the syringe and running a tox screen on him." She shrugged. "Right now they have no idea, but he's stable. They're calling it a drug overdose."

"How did he let this happen?"

"The same way I did. We each confronted her alone and when we tried to arrest her, she lashed out. I think she meant this for him, though, right from the start. She was ready for him."

"Do you think she tried to kill him?"

"Who knows with Nicole. Whatever she gave him, he stopped breathing, but the paramedics were right there. She had to know we had backup. He's breathing all on his own now."

"I was told he turned off his wire."

A dark cloud crossed her face. "Yes, and I am going to seriously kick his ass for that. We have no idea what transpired between them."

"How'd you find him?"

"That was Logan. He kept calling his phone until he heard it ringing."

Deakins nodded. "That was smart. Where is Logan?"

"I think he and Barek went on a coffee run. It's been a long night."

"Are they admitting you?"

"No, but I am going to stay with him, at least until he wakes up and I know he's going to be okay. They're about ready to transfer him."

"I'll expect you to keep me updated."

"I will, Captain."

"And I'll deal with him when he gets out of here."

"I'm sure he's going to look forward to that."

He touched the bandage on the side of her head. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm positive. She knocked me out, but it was only for a few minutes. She seemed angry but for some reason, she didn't intend to hurt me. I don't understand it, but I'm not going to complain too hard about it either."

"Maybe he'll have a better idea of what is going on with her. Call me when he's awake, and tell Logan and Barek I want to see them in the squad by midmorning."

"I'll tell them."

She watched him leave and then stood up and walked to the side of the bed. She ran her hand gently over her partner's hair and softly sighed, placing her other hand over his as she waited for them to come to transport him upstairs to his room.

An hour later, he was in his room and she was on the phone with her husband, who was relieved that she was all right. Are you heading home?

"Not yet. I'm still at the hospital. I want to make sure Bobby is going to be all right before I leave."

You're sure you're okay, though?

"Yes, Ricky. I'm fine. Just a little knock on the head."

You're pregnant, you know. Did you tell him that?

"Yes, he knows. I got checked out, Ricky. The baby and I are both fine."

I worry about you.

She let out a soft sigh. Her, not them...not the baby. "I'll see you tonight."

All right. You sure you can drive? I can pick you up.

"I'll be fine. Mike already promised to drive me home. You go ahead and finish your shift."

He sighed. Okay. Tell Logan not to drive like an ass.

She laughed quietly. "I will. Bye."

She breathed a sigh of relief. That had gone much better than she had anticipated. She thought Ricky would give her a hard time about staying with Bobby, but he hadn't. She sat back down in the chair beside his bed and rubbed her eyes wearily. Nicole Wallace...they'd had no idea...she couldn't wait to see how he dealt with this one. It wasn't going to be pretty. She knew he was going to carry the burden of those two deaths, and none of them would be able to convince him not to. And Wallace got away again...that was going to be even harder to deal with.

A nurse came in every fifteen minutes to take his blood pressure and listen to his chest. She would give her a small smile, and then leave. Eames let her fingers caress his arm. "Why did you let her do this? Why do you always let her get to you, one way or another?"

"Talking to yourself now?"

She turned toward the voice. Logan approached the foot of the bed as Barek walked around to the other side. She stood silently, looking at him. He moved his head in a way that vaguely reminded her of Bobby, and that was it. Three steps and she was in his arms, which he wrapped around her as he glanced at Barek, confused. Barek looked sympathetic. At a loss over what else to do, he tightened his arms around her and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "What'd they say about him?" he asked quietly.

"Nothing yet." She sighed but didn't step away. "Why did he let her do this?"

"You know why. He doesn't think about consequences. He just walks into situations and he's damn lucky he doesn't have to say 'oops' a helluva lot more often."

He wasn't even going to get into Goren's state of mind. Part of the problem was that he was having trouble caring what happened to him. He had crossed the line sometime after the wedding, and Logan had been entirely unable to pull him back. He wondered if that wasn't part of the reason he'd turned off the wire. He was sure going to get it for that one, from all sides. He knew better, yes. But he didn't care.

Finally, Eames stepped away from him. "What am I going to do with him, Mike?"

"Let me know if you figure that out." He sighed. "Just...keep reminding him that you care, Alex. He needs to hear that from you."

She returned to the bedside and looked across at Barek, who nodded in agreement with Logan. "He's right," she said. "And I don't say that very often."

"No, she doesn't," he agreed.

Eames looked down at her partner. "I do care," she muttered. "Why doesn't he get that?"

"I can't figure him out. I just try to be there when he needs me, that's all."

She studied Logan, realizing for the first time that Goren did need him. Mike had been a good friend to him, and Bobby needed that friendship. "Thank you, Mike."

He shook his head. "No need. I'll be honest with you. I don't have any family, and neither does he, really. We've come to like hanging out with each other. Once I got to know him well enough, I found out I like him more than I ever thought I would." He held out a coffee cup. "Here. You look like you could use this."

"Thanks. Oh, Deakins wants to see you guys no later than midmorning."

Another heavy sigh and he looked at Barek. "I guess we'd better go face the music and get it over with."

Barek frowned at him. "What music? We didn't do anything wrong. There's gonna be an orchestra playing for Goren, but you and I are okay."

Logan looked at Goren, then at Eames, who had been partners with Bobby long enough to know guilt when she saw it. "She's right, Mike. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I promised to take care of you, and look what happened. Some back up."

"Mike..."

He waved an impatient hand. "Save it, Alex. Give me a call when you're ready to go home and I'll come get you. But let me tell you this: if we ever do this again, I'll rig his wire so he can't turn the fucking thing off. I'll see you later, sweetheart."

He headed out of the room. Barek looked at Eames and, with a small smile, said, "Don't think for a moment that my partner is any less work than yours. Call me tonight after you get home."

"Thanks, Carolyn."

She sat down heavily and sighed deeply. Shifting the chair up against the bed, she reached her arm over and grasped his hand, holding onto it as she closed her eyes to rest, just for a minute...