Sorry for the long hiatus, guys. Stressful times in my private life, and the holidays just made me slack on the story. Hopefully you won't have to wait so long for the next chapter! Anyway, please enjoy, and as always, please R&R!

After sleeping for a few hours, Sharon showers and dresses, then eats the oatmeal and toast Andy insisted she eat before leaving. She still didn't have much of an appetite, but managed to eat half of it which satisfied him for the most part. She just wanted to get back to the hospital to be with Rusty. She didn't want him to be alone.

Andy drives her to the hospital, reluctant to drop her off but Sharon insisted he go to the station. She trusted him more than anyone, and she would feel better if he was with the rest of the team, investigating who did this to Rusty.

They both sat in the car in front of the hospital, mostly silent until Andy sighed. "Shar….are you sure you will be all right?"

Sharon rolls her eyes but reaches over and squeezes his hand. "Andy. I had a good night's sleep and I had breakfast with you. I'm fine. I promise. I want you at the station, at least for a little while. As much as I want to help, I just…can't right now. Rusty needs me and I intend to be there for him through all of this."

Andy nods. "I know, honey. But please think about yourself, too. I don't want you to exhaust yourself."

Sharon smiles at him, reaching over to cup his cheek in her hand. "Well…that's why I have you to take care of me, isn't it? I will take care of Rusty and you will take care of me. We will take care of each other."

Andy smiles, kissing her palm. "It's a deal, Raydor."

She reaches over to kiss him lightly on the lips. "I'll call you in a few hours, okay?"

He nods, watching as she starts to get out of her car. "Say hi to Rusty for all of us."

Sharon smiles and gives a little wave. "I will. Bye."

Sharon walks into the hospital with butterflies in her stomach. She heads up to Rusty's room and was relieved to see that he was still sleeping. She would have felt horrible if she wasn't with him when he opened his eyes.

She sat with him for a few minutes before the doctor came in to let her know how he was doing, and she was happy to hear that no infection had set in, that his oxygen levels were much better than they were yesterday.

She sighed in relief when she stood up to shake the doctor's hand. "Thank you so much for…saving his life…" She took a deep breath, swallowing hard. "For making him better."

The doctor shook his head. "Miss Raydor, it's what I do. When Rusty wakes up, please tell one of the nurses to page me, okay?"

Sharon nods, wiping away a stray tear that managed to escape. "I will. Thank you again."

After the doctor left, Sharon didn't have to wait much longer before she saw Rusty's eyes start to flutter. She gently squeezed his hand and leaned forward a bit, speaking in soft tones. "Rusty?"

Rusty opened his eyes fully, looking around with a confused expression on his face until his eyes found Sharon's. He instantly felt safe, and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Shar…"

Sharon held up her hand. "Shhh…don't try to talk yet. I have a lot of questions to ask you later but right now I need to say a few things, okay?"

Rusty nodded his head a little, not letting go of her hand.

Sharon took a deep breath. "Rusty…I…I'm so sorry….that I wasn't home with you…"

Rusty shook his head, opening his mouth to protest but Sharon shook her head. "Please let me finish. When I saw you on the floor, I didn't know if you were still alive. And the thought of losing you before telling you how I felt about you… it was unimaginable."

Rusty's eyes fill with tears, and he swallowed, not knowing what to say. He squeezed Sharon's hand, urging her to continue.

"Rusty…before you came into my life, I had gotten myself into such a hermit crab life. With my husband and my kids gone from my home, I was alone and I thought I was okay with that, and maybe I was…but I missed being a Mom, you know? What I'm trying to say is, I didn't realize that until you came along. You opened up my heart again, Rusty…and I love you as if I was the one who gave birth to you. I just…I needed you to know that before we said anything else."

Rusty smiled a little at her, before clearing his throat. "Can I…talk now?" His voice was hoarse, but clear.

Sharon nods, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Sure…how are you feeling?"

"Tired…Sharon…do you know who…did this?"

Sharon shakes her head. "No, sweetheart. The squad is at the station trying to figure that out right now. Did you recognize the person who did this to you?"

Rusty shook his head. "No…but his voice sounded familiar to me. There was…a knock on the door and when I opened it, some guy in a mask barged his way into the house. I ran for the drawer in the hallway where you kept your gun but when he saw it, he grabbed it from my hand and he just…shot me when I started to run away. Then he left. I tried to get to the phone but…I couldn't." He felt his eyes fill with tears, remembering how he felt when he was lying on the kitchen floor, how all he could think about was Sharon. Would she miss him if he died? Would she be angry with him? Now, of course, he felt guilty for thinking these things, as it was clear Sharon would have been devastated if he hadn't made it.

Sharon kisses his knuckles. "It's going to be all right, Rusty. No one is going to hurt you again, I promise. We are gonna find who did this to you and why, okay?"

Rusty nods. "Whoever it was…I think it was from before I met you…because the voice was so familiar to me but it wasn't someone I remember speaking to recently…does that help?"

Sharon smiles. "Yes, it does. It means it's probably not someone that both of us know. I'll call the team in a few minutes to let them know all that you've remembered so far. I'm gonna go tell one of the nurses that you are awake and to page the doctor so he can come in and take a look at you.

Rusty nods and watches her leave the room. His mind was racing, he felt terrible for not reacting to what Sharon had said to him earlier, but he didn't really know how to respond to love. He hadn't really had it in his life before she came into it. But he also knew he couldn't let Sharon walk out of the hospital oday without telling her SOMETHING about how he felt about her.

When she returned with the doctor, he answered all of his questions, and the doctor seemed pleased. All the while, Rusty watched Sharon who was on the phone with Andy, filling him in with all Rusty had told her since she woke up. She still looked stressed, and Rusty felt terrible. When the doctor left and Sharon got off the phone, she went back over to the bed when Rusty gestured to her to come closer. "What is it, Rusty? Are you in any pain?"

Rusty shakes his head. "No, I'm okay. Listen, Sharon…about what you said earlier…"

Sharon swallowed and looked down for a moment. "It's okay, Rusty…you don't have to say anything. You don't owe me anything…I just…"

Rusty sighed. "But I do owe you, Sharon. I owe you everything. If it wasn't for you, who knows where I would be right now. I love you, too, Sharon…I'm sorry I didn't tell you that before. I was just, overwhelmed, I guess."

Sharon smiles. "I'm happy to hear it." She gets up to kiss his forehead, brushing his hair out of his face. "You just rest, now, okay? I'll be back later."

Rusty nods. "Thanks for taking care of me, Sharon."

"I'll always be here for you, Rusty. I promise you that."

"I know. Me too."

She smiles and walks out of the hospital room, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Suddenly her cell phone goes off. It was Andy. She quickly picks up. "Hello?"

"Shar…are you with Rusty?"

Sharon narrows her eyes in concern. "No, I told him to rest and just left the room. Why? What's up?"

Andy sighs. "We know who shot Rusty."

Her eyes widen. "Who?"

"It was Edward Stroh. Philip Stroh's brother."