A/N: I DO NOT OWN THE NIGHT SHIFT. SOME DIALOGUE IS FROM THE SHOW TO HELP WITH ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION THAT MAY NOT BE SHOWN CLEARLY. THANK YOU. (2/2)

10:09PM

"Lori, Doctor Clemmens wants to see you in the O.R. immediately." A nurse informed Lori, who had been talking to Kenny, trying to organise a CT for one of the soldiers that had suffered a neck injury during the crash.

"So. Can you get that organised, please?" She asked the nurse, quickly agreeing he walked towards the phone, files in hand.

Lori couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes as she marched up towards the OR. She knew exactly what Scott wanted from her and she wasn't going to let him undermine her again. As soon as she arrived up towards the observation glass he had started to speak to her.

"I was waiting on the amputation on Captain Lincoln." He started, his concentration still on the soldier he had been operating on. "and I just found out that you did an external emergency bypass."

Lori shook her head, this guy just didn't get it. "He's allowed a chance."

"A chance you know you that won't work. I don't know if you're trying to defy me..." Scott challenged. He was a good surgeon, no denying that, he also didn't have as much ego as Lori but she didn't mind. She was a surgeon, a big ego just makes them better, after all, would you like to have your life in the hands of someone who didn't think they're good enough?

Deep down, Lori knew she was searching for a hail Mary but she didn't have a choice. Rick was struggling to cope, so was her brother and maybe, so was she. "I can't amputate." She sighed, shaking her head.

"You're supposed to be my colleague." The man argued.

"No. Seniority. My decision." Lori huffed, angrily. "So you're trying to say we can't encourgae people with a little hope? He's a soldier, someone who fights wars, he needs to know that we didn't just give up on him."

"Not our job." Scott challenged.

Lori scoffed. "Yeah, cause we amputate the limbs of old people, people who are sick. Not people who fight wars and stand proud for their country." She was military, she knew Rick needed to know that she wasn't giving up. "Now if you excuse me, I've got a leg to save."

"We can't save everyone." The Clemmens said, his eyes piercing Lori's. This woman has a God complex and she was going to get herself into a heap of trouble if she didn't snap out of it.

But I'm sure as hell going to try. Sighing, she turned her back and walked away.

11:25PM

On the other side of the hospital, Drew had taken some time to sit with his partner again. He had been stopping by as much as he could but of course, with him being still on shift and his secret yet to be revealed he had to limit his time.

Rick, however, had wanted nothing more than Drew to comfort him, he had been gone for months now and he returned only to been involved in a horrific accident that had threatened his health and career.

But even though Drew had found the time to sit with Rick, they weren't alone, Landry had come to speak to him regarding the possibility of amputation.

"I'm nothing without my leg." Rick complained, he had been in the military since he was 18, it was all he had ever known. He had worked up the ranks like many soldiers and for it to be ripped away it was a surprise that he wasn't inconsolable. Maybe it had been the military way or maybe he was too angry to even consider being upset. "I'm army. This is what I do."

"Are you afraid that the amputation will take all that away from you?" The psychiatrist asked, her eyes soft and her voice gentle.

Rick scoffed. "I'll have nothing to live for."

It was Drew's turn to scoff. "Bullshit. With today's prosthetic's, you're gonna be able to do anything anybody else can."

"You know what? Stay out of this." Rick snapped. "You haven't stopped talking in rhyme all day." He said, angrily. Turning to Landry De La Cruz, he asked. "You y-you do know what's going on between us, right, Doctor?"

"No. Don't Rick."

"Tell her tough guy. Tell her what's going on." Drew shook his head, Rick knew this was the last thing he wanted. He wasn't ready, not yet. "Now who's afraid?"

"Look, I'm going to have to check on another patient." Landry excused herself, finally leaving the two alone.

Drew had stood up to follow the woman when Rick spoke, his voice was no longer harsh but scared. It made Drew's heart ache. "Wait. My leg."

The doctor looked at his partner questioningly.

"What's the story? Can they save it?"

1:50AM

"Hey, anyone sat here?" Krista asked as she stood beside the bench where Lori had also found herself, sipping on hot beverages and wrapping herself up in her now favourite jacket.

Lori shook her head. "Be my guest."

"This shift is hell." Krista groaned, plopping herself down on the bench, yawning. It was only a little past 12 and it was clear that this shift was taking a toll on everybody no matter how much experience you had or didn't.

"You can say that again." She muttered. "You have P.F.C Wilson, right?" Lori asked, looking up at the intern who had joined her.

Krista shook her head, sadly. "He didn't make it."

Lori uttered her condolences, she had heard about the P.F.C's mystery case throughout the shift. The intern had asked the doctor's for some advice and had even been to consult Lori, despite being a surgeon, she appreaciated Lori's knowledge and her time on tour was a good insight to possible causes for the deteriation of P.F.C Wilson.

"How's Rick doing?" Krista asked. "It must be tough. Are you and Drew holding up? I don't know how you're both dealing with it," She rambled. "Sorry I didn't-" The intern cut herself off, realising that she may have crossed a boundry.

"He's coping." Lori smiled softly, shrugging. She didn't care that Krista was asking, if someone wanted to know something, she'd try her best to help.

"But, it's one of your own? It must be hard." Krista asked, her eyes full of curiosity.

"We're robots." Lori shrugged. Granted, she would never want to be in Rick's position but she knew the only way she could do her job was if she did as she had learned. "We've been out there, in places you could only imagine, we asses, we treat, we heal." Sighing, she turned to the doctor. "My compassion isn't going to help Rick, he needs to know that I'm doing my job, a job HE Knows I put my all into."

"But it could've been you?" Krista asked.

"It could've been any of us." Lori corrected, pointedly, sipping on her coffee.

"What about Drew?" Krista added, like Lori, she had found a friend in the other Alister, she had also been another one to learn of Drew's sexuality and had continually encouraged him to just be himself but he didn't want that. Not yet.

Lori sighed. "I- I don't know. He's struggling. I- just- I don't know what I can say."

Krista shrugged. "Just be there."

The young doctor had been ready to respond when Kenny rushed out of the ER doors, holding the stethoscope tightly in his palms to stop it falling. "Dr Alister. It's Rick." He said, slightly breathless, he had been led to believe that Lori was on the other end of the ER and had been looking around for her.

"What?" She asked, her face dropping and the coffee she had barely finished falling from her hands as she managed to stagger to her feet.

"He's being taken to surgery." He informed, an arm ready to guide her towards the OR.

Lori shook her head. "Why? What happened?" She demanded, no one had been to find her, unaware that the friendly nurse had been looking for her for the past ten minutes. Not bothering to wait for an answer, she wailed her hands in the air. "Okay. Page Dr Clemmens. I'll go get ready to scrub in." She informed. Leaving the nurse and the intern.

"Is it bad?" Krista asked, not sure if she could bare her friend's partner's treatment going wrong too.

"They have to amputate." Kenny said.

2:14AM

"Are you doing the surgery?" Rick asked Lori. Having been friends for years, he trusted her, he knew her and knew how she worked.

Lori nodded. "But Dr Clemmens will be assisting." She smiled, noticing the flicker of uncertainty cross the soldier's face, she reassured him. "Dr Clemmens is a great surgeon." Smiling softly, she waited for him to nod before transferring over to Scott.

"We're gonna get you upstairs and sedate you, and put you under general anesthesia-" Scott began explaining the procedure but was soon cut off.

"Wait." Drew's voice boomed. There, he stood before them. His hands in his pockets and thumbs hooked over the side, a habit the doctor had. His face flat. Slowly, he approached the man that lay on the gurney.

Sighing knowingly, Lori motioned for Scott to step back with her, allowing the two men to have a moment to themselves.

"I'm gonna be there for you." Drew said, his head lowering over the gurney, licking his lips, he spoke strongly. "I love you." Tears glistened in his eyes, Rick's too. Drew had just done the one thing he feared most, coming out.

"We gotta go." Scott said, stepping forward.

5:47AM

The surgery had gone well, as well as it could go with an amputation. It had been long and tiring but Rick had soon been taken to recovery where he would be monitored until he could be sent home - which would be pretty soon according to Scott Clemmens who had agreed to wait behind to fill in the charts, allowing Lori Alister to head home. She had been quick to refuse but he had insisted, a form of an apology.

Lori had requested to be the one to tell Drew that everything had gone smoothly, he had been eternally grateful although Lori had dismissed it quickly. Thanking her once again, Drew decided that he would head up to recovery, he wanted to be there for his boyfriend when he woke up. He wanted to.

Turning away, Lori quickly changed and got ready to leave.

"Hey. Alister?" Scott called as he watched the retreating figure of his fellow attending. At the sound of her name being called she spun around quickly. "Look. I just wanted to apologise for today. It wasn't my place. You are my boss now and I should've respected that."

"It-s oka-"

"No." Scott shook his head, "You were right, so was TC, I don't understand. Jordan said you guys were different and I don't think I appreciated that until I watched you work on these men today, all of you." He shrugged.

"Yeah." Lori shrugged, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Well you ain't going to change it. I think TC would have a few choice words."

Scott chuckled. "Go home Alister. You need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, on time."

"I didn't think you were so soft Clemmens." She grinned, turning her back she headed towards the exit, leaving a smiling Scott stood in the hallway.

As soon as she was out of the ER and jumped into the driver seat of her car, she let the tears fall. Picking up her cell, Lori dialled the number she knew all too familiar. Sniffing as the caller answered, she spoke. "Hey, yeah, it's Lori..look, I have something I need to tell Drew and I think I need your help."

Next Chapter: Lori tells Drew..but did she plan it that way?

Poll: How will Drew find out?

Thank you for reading, please let me know what your thoughts are.