Lindsay stuck her head in the doorway and smiled at Claire. Cindy looked to be sound asleep on the bed. She entered the room and Claire squeezed her shoulder as she left the room. Lindsay sat down in the chair by the bed and looked at the redhead. She had fresh bruises on her face and even in her sleep, she had a look of pain on her face. As Lindsay was about to doze off, Cindy woke up and smiled at her. "You showed up." She whispered. Lindsay could tell she still found it hard to breathe.

"Yeah. Jill came and chewed my ass out last night." She looked around the room. She hated that she could feel Cindy looking at her. "Look, I know I was out of line last night. And I have been beating myself up about even as I slept off the some odd beers I had last night. I couldn't get a decent nights sleep. I had far too much on my mind, and honestly, most of it concerned you. Like, why do you stick with this guy if he does this to you? Because it sure as hell isn't love. Especially not on his part."

"Linz.."

"Let me finish. Let me finish while I still have the courage to do this. More and more over the past few months, you have been in my thoughts. And that means that I care about you and that is something I am not ready to do. At first you were just an annoying reporter who managed to find her way onto multiple crime scenes and then you were a friend and now I want you to be more than a friend. I want you to get out of that apartment and away from the bastard. I want you to be safe. Even if it means you have to run halfway across the country without me to be safe. I am scared that you will ask me to save you, because I might kill him. I cannot keep my emotions in check on this because I care so much. When you said it was none of my business, I wanted to believe you. But it became my business the second I realized that I loved you. With every inch of me that breathes, I love you. And I had to get that out there, because it would have ended up driving me crazy if I kept it inside and never told you and just went around pretending like I don't care." She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes quickly. "And I promised myself I wasn't going to cry, but you look so helpless and in pain and I hate it because I can't do anything to help you."

"Yes, you can." She whispered. Lindsay looked up at her. "You're here. With me. That helps." She reached out and held onto Lindsay's hand. There was a knock on the door frame and both women looked up to see Arik standing there. If Cindy hadn't tightened her grip on her hand, Lindsay would have jumped up and shot the man where he stood. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Look, Cin, I.." He looked at Lindsay. "Can I have a moment alone with her?"

"No. Last time you did, she ended up here." Lindsay snapped, not moving.

Arik sighed. "Cindy, I'm sorry. I don't know what the hell came over me, you know, besides hormones and arrogant jackassness. And I want another chance. Another one to make this right. To try and fix it."

"Arik, this is the, what? Ninth? No, tenth! Tenth time you have put me in the hospital with your anger." Cindy snapped. Lindsay could feel that her being in the room was making her stronger. "Thankfully this time my life wasn't in too much danger." She took a few deep, painful breaths. "So I think you need to leave."

"No. I refuse to take no for an answer. I need another chance."

"She said to leave." Lindsay said, slowly beginning to lose her temper. "Don't make me shoot you, because I will and I will have no regrets about doing so. So do not push your luck. Leave."

"I said no. You think your tough cop attitude is going to scare me off?" He said, taking a few more steps into the room. Lindsay moved to stand up but Cindy put a hand on her arm. It amazed her how just that one touch could keep her in check. "Wow, your backbone is worse than hers." He said, laughing. He looked at how Cindy was watching Lindsay. "Wait, is this the one you were falling for? The other night when you said that? You are falling for the cop? That's real brave. Someone you can safely hide behind."

"Why are you like this, Arik? Why can't you still be like the man I fell in love with? When we were nineteen. And all you did was want to give me the world? Why did you change?" Cindy asked, her voice quiet again, each word giving her pain.

"Why? Well, Cindy, I can tell you. It can change the way a man thinks when he gets into a shouting match with his girlfriend and then has to take her to the hospital for trying to slice her arms open. Makes him overbearing. Because maybe he doesn't want to lose her. He wants to keep her for himself and only himself. Sometimes he loses his temper. And he breaks what he loves. But he is always sorry. He will always be sorry, but he will never lose her." He moved closer to the bed and this time nothing Cindy could do would have stopped Lindsay from standing up.

"Leave this room right now. She is not yours anymore. You need to get out before you really piss me off." She snarled. He put his hands up in mock surrender. He slowly backed towards the door and winked at Cindy.

"I'll be around." He said, disappearing from view. Lindsay immediately turned her attention to Cindy who had her eyes closed tightly.

"Are you okay?" She whispered. "I mean, besides the obvious?"

"What did he mean by he'll be around?" Cindy said, her voice shaky.

"Well, I don't know, but I know he won't get anywhere near you. Not if he wants to stay out of a jail cell. Cindy, please, file a report on this. On everything. Restraining order. Before he can do something else to you." Lindsay said, for once pleading with the woman.

"You think that would stop him if he wanted to really hurt me? Or you? Just because you are a cop doesn't mean he will leave you alone. He knows I want you. And since you aren't him, that just gives him more reason to hate you. Besides the whole cop thing."

"Do it anyways." Lindsay said, holding onto Cindy's hand. "Just do it anyways, please."