Title: Inside These Lines – Part 7

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Law & Order. This is for entertainment only (and something I would've loved to see happen).

Pairing: Mike/Connie

Notes: This is my first Law & Order fic. I was watching repeats, and I have always loved Mike and Connie, and I was reading DaisyDay's fic, and I've always had an idea for Mike and Connie, but I had to spend a few days trying to work around the LA thing (that I didn't like). I do like Mike in SVU I must admit.

Thanks for waiting (turns out you for some reason files will not attach/load when you are using Safari), all mistakes are mine. This has not been checked. Please enjoy.

Different Worlds

I've been out on the ocean

Sailing alone traveling nowhere

You've been running on hard ground

With just you around

Your heartbeat is the only sound

But I know once in a while we'll find that the sound of your heart beats with mine and when it's time I'll leave the ocean behind

xXxXxXxXx

"Mr. McCoy." The nurse who had given Jack forms to fill out and directed them to the waiting room was now standing in front of them. "You can see him now." She said rather firmly.

"Go," Jack said when Connie flicked her attention from the nurse to Jack.

"Where is he?" Connie asked as she pushed herself to her feet.

"I'll take you." The nurse pointed. "This way."

They stopped at the entrance to a room directly across from the nurses' station. "If you can please be careful of the monitors."

"Thank you," Connie smiled at the young women; she turned and placed her hand on the doorframe. Just moments ago Connie had been up and down almost unable to wait for someone to tell them that they could see him, now she was so scared of what she would find. Would he ever wake up and if he did … would it be the Mike she knew? Connie wasn't sure if she could make her legs take the last few steps.

After a few moments of debate with herself, Connie took the first small step into his room and stopped instantly. The crisp white sheet folded at his waist, his bare chest had patches with leads connected to one of the monitors, drips ran out of each arm, and another lead was connected to his right index finger. His eyes were black, from the fall she guessed and a large square piece of gauze covered most of his left shoulder. It wasn't as bad as she had imagined, he looked almost peaceful, and that scared her more.

"It's okay." A voice said from behind Connie.

"I'm sorry." She said almost automatically as she stepped aside to let the nurse into the room.

" I didn't mean to scare you," the nurse said as she pulled the chart from its holder next to the door. "I meant it's okay; you can touch him." The soft looking nurse said with her gentle smile.

"I've never seen him like this." Connie didn't know why she was willing to tell this stranger anything, but once she started, she couldn't stop." He is usually always on the go, walking, talking. I've never seen him so still."

"How long have you been together?" The nurse asked as she pulled the sheet away from the end of the bed to reveal his feet. Removing what looked like a mini pizza cutter from her pocket she runs it up first his left foot and then his right.

"I don't know." Connie watched as his toes curled. "Is that a good sign?"

"Yes. It means that he doesn't have any nerve damage and most importantly that the message is reaching his brain." The nurse looked over to Connie, ''It doesn't tell us any more than that."

"Can he hear us?"

"When some people wake up they say they remember people talking to them ... I just know if it were me I wouldn't want to lay there on my own." The nurse covered his feet again. "I'll leave you to it."

Connie decided that she was better on his left side, his hand was free of monitors and only one drip-line ran from his arm. "Hi." She said as she looked around almost expecting to find someone else in the room. "We didn't really get to talk before you left and now Jack tells me that you want to move." Connie lowered herself into the hard plastic chair next to his bed.

"I hope it wasn't for me. I told Dekker I'd be leaving at the end of my contract ... I gave him my 90-days notice." Connie reached out lightly running her fingers down his arm before pulling away. "And it seems you've turned into a bit of a hero." Again she looked around the small room, realizing that he was here because of how close it was to the nurses' station. "I guess now wouldn't be the time for you to be moving."

Connie pulled the chair closer to the bed allowing her to hold his hand without having to lean forward. Only now she didn't know what to do; they'd only started to talk about what they were going to do. In fact, they hadn't even really talked about them being a couple, only that she'd told him it wasn't fair to him when they were so far apart. To him that meant he was willing to move to LA, right now Connie was trying to work out why she hadn't wanted to confirm anything. It wasn't like they were seeing anyone else, they spoke twice a day, sometimes four or five times.

She'd always known that he would be there for her, somehow she knew he would wait for her to return. Until Dekker had entered her office this morning and she'd seen that news bulletin it had never occur to her that he wouldn't be there, and that sick feeling that had settled in her chest had only started to feel heavier as the day went on. She wanted nothing more than for Mike to wake up, or show any sign that he was still in there.

"Hey," Jack said from the door. "I just spoke to the doctor, and she said we most likely wouldn't see any change in his condition for the next 12 to 24 hours." Jack moved to the end of the bed. "I thought you might want to have a shower, maybe change."

"I didn't bring anything," Connie said as if she'd just thought about it herself.

"Well, it's almost eleven I think you should get something to eat ... I'll stay here until you get back."

"I don't have anywhere to go and-"

Jack held up a key card with Park South Hotel printed on the small cardboard holder. "I booked you a room." Jack wait a moment, and when she didn't take the key, he picked up her hand and wrapped her fingers around it. "It's been a long day; I'll stay here and if anything changes I will call you." With a smile that betrayed the firmness of his tone. "Now go."

"Thank you." Connie stood frozen for a second; she didn't know what to do. She wanted to lean down and kiss him and at the same time, she didn't know if she had the right. Again it crossed her mind that it would be better if she just stayed here. After a few more seconds of arguing in her head, she gave his hand a squeeze and turned back to Jack. "I shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Take your time." Jack took Connie's chair and opened the paper he had folded under his arm.

It wasn't until she was out the door that she heard Jack start to read the paper out loud.

"Well, I guess that's the end of his career," Jack said as he turned the page over after reading the latest scandal regarding one of New York's sitting congressman. "You might get a visit from him; maybe a thank you. A DA getting shot should knock him off the front page." Jack said a little cynically.

"Noo."

Something that sounded more like a grown than a word came from Mike's bed and one of the steady ticks coming from the large monitor started to increase to a rather insistence beep. All of this caused Jack to sit bolt upright, fold the paper and remove his glasses. "Mike?" He questioned as he pressed the alert button, a little pointlessly as a nurse was already entering the small room.

"Mr. Cutter." The nurse said as she pushed a few buttons on the beeping monitor. "Mr. Cutter, I need you to relax, you're okay, you're at Bellevue Hospital." the beeping slowed slightly as she continued. "Do you understand? ... Mr. Cutter?"

"Mike, he prefers Mike," Jack said and at the sound of his voice, the beeping again went back to a steady tick and Mike's body seemed to relax against the bed. "What happened?" Again Jack thought that was a little pointless; he could see what happened.

"Your friend has started to regain conciseness; it's a good sign." She stated quickly. "I'm going to have the doctor come in and check on him."

Jack sat focused on Mike; he wasn't sure what he should do. He again looked just as he had a few minutes ago. His thought process was cut short as the doctor entered the room.

"I hear Mr. Cutter is coming back to us.'" She said as she flashed her penlight in his eyes.

"Is everything? Okay?" Jack asked as he noticed the doctor was focusing on one eye.

"It is very early, at this point we don't know a lot."

"You look concerned." Jack decided a direct approach was the best; he knew she thought something was wrong.

"His right eye isn't responding to light; this might be a sign of something bigger or it may be nothing." She paused. "It really is a case of wait and see. To be on the safe side, I am going to order a few tests." With that, she simply smiled added a few notes to the chart and left.

Connie stepped into the hospital lift an hour and two minutes after she'd left. In that time she'd managed to buy a pair of jeans, a red knitted top, and jacket from the store below the hotel, she'd showered, eaten a sandwich and the higher the lift climbed, the heavier the weight on her chest became. Once the doors opened she had to force her legs to move, all the time keeping her head down as she passed the small waiting area and slipped into Mike's room.

Waiting in the room was Jack, legs crossed paper open. "Where is he?" the question just seemed to come out as her eyes focused on the empty space where Mike's bed should have been.

"They've taken him down for an MRI scan."

"Did something happen?" Connie started to scan the room as if it held the answer she was looking for.

"He began to show some signs of activity." Jack borrowed a word he had heard one of the nurses use. "The doctor said it was a good sign."

"Okay." Connie wrapped her arms around herself a little lost.

"Here." Jack stood and guided her into his chair. "I'm going to get a coffee; I'll bring you back one."

Connie didn't respond; she continued to focus on the empty space in front at her. She stayed like that until the click of the bed wheels caused her to jump as they pushed Mike back into the room. First Connie stepped back and watched as they settled him into place.

"Is he okay?" Connie asked as the nurse pushed the last monitor in place.

"The doctor will be around shortly." She smiled at Connie and stopped just inside the door to allow Jack past.

"Here." Jack handed Connie the paper cup, "what did they say?"

"Nothing. The doctor will be around when they have the test results."

"Did you get any sleep?"

"It is still early for me," Connie said as she again pulled the chair closer to the bed and settled back in next to Mike. It took her a moment to return her focus to Jack. "You should go home.

"I'll be fine. If I need anything, I'll give you a call."

"Connie I'm not leaving you here."

"I'll be fine." Connie cut him off in an effort to reassure him.

"Excuse me." A short blonde hair nurse appeared at the door. "It is getting very late, and we are shutting everything down. If you would like to go home, we can contact you if anything changes."

"I'm not leaving," Connie said almost not letting her finish.

"We really cannot make you comfortable here." The nurse finished.

"Thank you," Connie smiled at the nurse as if her statement had been a request. "I really am fine."

Connie watched as the nurse turned to Jack, his response was to shrug his shoulders. At that moment Lupo stood at the door with Alex.

"This is not central station." The nurse said obviously frustrated that no one respected the rules. "We cannot have any more than two people in the room, and I really shouldn't allow that."

Again Connie watched, this time, a look was passed between Jack and Lupo. However, it was Alex that spoke first. "I just wanted to see how he is doing?"

"No change." Jack jumped in to answer. "I'll take you home." He directed Alex as he moved toward the door.

"I'll stay," Lupo said. Once again a look was exchanged between Jack and Lupo. "I've got to study," Lupo said as he held up a bag. "I'll be in the waiting area." With that all three left the room, leaving Connie alone with Mike.

With the room empty and all but silent she felt the need to adjust the sheet and plain white blanket that was folded just under his ribcage. It seemed to her that his chest had to be cold, she stood and pulled the sheet and blanket up over his chest, tucking his arms under the blankets being careful of the drip lines.

"I didn't mean for it to be like this." Connie started, "I mean it shouldn't have taken this for me to talk to you, really talk to you."

"Does that mean you are going to talk to me now?"

Connie pulled both her hands back and drew in a deep breath at the shock of hearing him speak. "I'll get the doctor."

"No, please."

"When did you wake up?"

"When you were arguing with the nurse and Jack."

"Are you okay, do you hurt?" Connie asked before she remembered that one of the drips was pain medication.

"My head hurts like hell."

"I'm getting the nurse." Connie left the room not giving Mike a chance to stop her.

XXXXXXXX

Now that she had been sent out of the room and found herself sitting next to Lupo in the small waiting room she was regretting her trip to the nurses station. "What is taking so long?"

"It hasn't even been ten minutes." Lupo turned to face Connie, "You said he was awake and talking, now let the doctors do their thing." Lupo picked his book back up. "Cutter is the luckiest guy I know. He'll be fine."

For what felt like the hundredth time Connie pushed her hands back through her hair knowing that he was awake, but not knowing if he really was as well as he sounded was a feeling worse than knowing nothing at all. If she hadn't been so concerned about what people would think if she took up with another ADA, or more to the point another one that she worked for … 'None of this would have happened.' No matter how many times she told herself that it was a stupid thought, she couldn't help but think it.

The real problem was, and she knew it came down to one thing. If she hadn't put everything off, hadn't pushed Mike away it would be her they were giving information to, not Jack. They wouldn't have been able to make her leave the room; they would have had to come and get her. The last point might not be true, but it did seem like a good way to punish herself.

"Ms. Rubirosa."

"Yes." Connie shot to her feet.

"He would like to see you." The nurse held up her hand. "Mr. Cutter will be very tie, and we need to ensure that he is not excited or stressed, please keep your voice down and above all else keep him calm." She finished.

"Thank you," Connie smiled and moved a little slower toward the room, replacing her concerned expression with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Hi."

It looked like he tried to push himself up and then he stopped instantly, she guessed from the pain. "Hi." He said, "You look tired."

"Is that the thanks I get?"

"I thought I was dreaming." He said it in the same flirting tone that he used when they worked together.

"No," Connie said as she looked around the small room to find that the chair had been pushed out of the way. Pulling it back next to the bed and settled herself in as she picked up his hand, "I had to came, you turned into a hero ... couldn't let that one go."

All the response she got was a half smile as he closed his eyes. Connie looked around the room and remembered that Lupo was still in the waiting room. With that thought she went to let go of his hand only to feel Mike tighten his grip slightly on her hand, he didn't want her going anywhere.

It was the chill of a cold hand adjusting something that was connected to his skin that woke him; it seemed to be in stark contrast to whatever the soft, warm feeling that held his left hand. Mike first turned his head to the uncomfortable cold feeling and saw a short dark-haired woman in a white uniform next to him. For a moment he had forgotten where he was.

"Morning." The dark haired women said in a low voice, "Can you remember my name?"

This question caused Mike to look around the room, first turning to the warm feeling only to find Connie with her head resting on the bed and her hand wrapped around his. Finally, after turning to the monitors and even the roof, Mike found his way back to the nurse. "l..."

"Do you remember my name?" She repeated

"I don't think we've met." Mike paused, once again looking around the room. "How did I get here?"

Avowing his question, the nurse asked another one of her own. "Do you remember what happen to you?"

Mike turned to Connie and then back to the nurse, "I was in my office ... we were saying goodbye." Mike turned back to Connie. "She shouldn't be here, her mother isn't well; she should be on her way to LA."

"We'll worry about that when she wakes up, for now, you need to rest, and I'll have the doctor come and check on you." The nurse fussed with a few of the monitors and tubes before making a few notes in his chart. "If you need anything please just press this red button." She held up the buzzer that rested on the edge of his bed. "My name is Jenny Keen, do you think you can remember that."

"Yeah." Mike was a little confused as to why she was treating him like an infant. He watched her leave, and it wasn't until she was out of sight that he realised she hadn't answered his question. He didn't know why he was here. He did know that he had an awful headache, and a shape pain would stab into his left shoulder if he tried to move it.

He guessed it was when he pulled and shifted from the pain in his shoulder that caused her to wake, automatically pulling her hand away from his as she smoothed her hair and wiped her eyes. The smile that spread across her face when she saw he was awake meant that he forgot about his headache for a moment.

"Morning," Connie said.

"Hey." Mike pressed his eyes closed in hope that it would hold the pain back before he continued. "You shouldn't be here. What time is your flight?"

"My flight?" Connie asked the confusion evident in her tone.

"To LA, you said you needed to get home."

"No ... l ... " Connie stopped. "I only arrived yesterday. I haven't booked a flight back to LA."

Mike looked around and closed his eyes again, only, this time, he wasn't sure if it would stop the pain or help him think. "Yesterday in my office, you said your mother was worse than you thought and you couldn't stay." He watched as the expression on Connie's face change. It took him a minute before he continued. "You weren't in my office yesterday."

"No." Was Connie's simple reply.

"How long have I been in here? … What happened?" He asked not waiting for the first answer as he heard the panic in his own voice start to raise.

Connie stood, so she was able to reach over him and pressed the call button for the nurse. "I think I should get someone."

When Connie had been once again pushed out the room, she found herself in the small waiting only this time it was Alex and Jack holding the vigil instead of Lupo.

"How is he?" Jack asked.

"Okay but he ... thinks that I am leaving for LA." Connie let herself fall down next to Jack. "He thinks mum is still alive and that I was in his office yesterday."

"Does he remember the shooting?" Alex asked, her arm in a sting hugged close to her chest.

"No." She said as she jumped back to her feet, the doctor seemly finished already. "Is he okay?"

"Mr. Cutter has some memory loss, so we are going to run some more tests." The doctor paused to allow them to take in the little information she was giving them. "However at this point, his brain function seems normal, and memory loss and a little disorientation is to be expected with this kind of trauma."

"But he doesn't know what happen to him, and he thinks it's a year ago," Connie said.

"As I said he has some memory loss, and that is perfectly normal, at the moment, Mr. Cutter is very lucky, and we will just have to wait and see regarding his memory." The doctor finished.

"So he may never remember what happened?" Jack asked, resting a hand on Connie's shoulder as if he was trying to hold her in place.

"It is not uncommon for people not to remember the trauma, the brain blocks it out as a kind protection method." The doctor turned a little more serious. "For the moment it is important that Mr. Cutter gets a lot of rest and is not overly excited or stressed. Please answer any questions honestly and be clear. He may seem fine however he will be easily confused." The doctor paused and waited as the group took in what had been said. "His brain is bruised and like any injury, it needs time to recover. I also want to limit the number of visitors ... Connie?" The doctor flicked her eyes from person to person.

"Yes."

"He is asking for you and seems quite concerned, so please remember what I said." With that, the doctor turned and walked back toward the nurses nation.

"You go in, and we'll wait here," Jack said as he said sat back down and picked up his newspaper.

"Hi," Connie said from the door to his room.

"I was shot," Mike said, his voice didn't sound convinced.

"Yes." Connie guessed it was better to reassure him or rather be direct as the doctor had indicated. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore, confused ..." Mike looked up at her with a cheeky smile. "A little stupid."

That caused Connie to take a step forward before she pulled herself up again. She didn't know what to say, as far as she knew he didn't even remember getting off the plane from LA, let alone the NY weekend. "You pushed Alex out of the way."

"Alex?" Mike asked.

"Alexandra Cabot."

"Why was Alex at the courthouse, I didn't know she was back?"

"She works for you; you're her boss now." Connie took another step forward. "You're the Bureau Chief for special victims."

"McCoy must have lost his mind."

"He's not the DA anymore, he retired and is teaching now at Hudson." Connie smiled, "He's outside waiting to see you, I can go get him?"

"Okay," Mike said as he looked at the bed. "Wait."

Connie turned back to face him.

"What about you, if I moved to special victims where did you go?"

"I moved to LA remember?"

"Yeah, I guess … I didn't think you'd stay."

It seemed to Connie that something close to regret washed across his face. It was the same look he had that day in his office when she told him she was leaving. He was reliving it all over again. "I'll get Jack."

xXxXxXxXx

The next time Mike woke he found Jack sitting in the chair next to his bed. Every time he opened his eyes someone new seemed to be in the room, he'd spoken to Alex. She'd thanked him and told him not to worry about work, they had it under control. Whoever they were? Lupo had arrived at the same time as a nurse with some flowers and a pile of cards. The nurse had been kind in telling him that many people had sent cards, notes, and flowers. She could bring in one lot of flowers. However, the rest had been taken to rehab and the long-term care wards, and she hoped he wouldn't mind.

Now Jack was back next to his bed, and it looked like he was reading student papers. 'Professor' he reminded himself. Still no Connie. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep for or how many times he'd woken up, but he hadn't seen her again. For all, he knew right now she'd taken the first flight back to LA.

"How are you?" Jack asked.

"Good." Apart from the stabbing in his shoulder and what felt like a crack in his skull, he had learned that the mention of pain meant that someone would give him something, and he would wake up some unknown time later, still with the pain. So for the moment he'd live with it. "Papers?" Mike asked.

''First-year law, all full of hope." Jack held one up. "They're going to change the world."

"I remember that," Mike said as he tried to smile only to find that the action felt like it would split his head completely open.

"Do you need me to get someone?"

"No. I'm fine for the moment." Mike scanned the room, squinting when his eyes came into contact with light above his head. The pain in his head was getting worse; much worse than the last time he woke.

"I managed to get her to go back to the motel to get some sleep. She hadn't left in over 24-hours." Jack said as he picked up the buzzer and pressed the red button.

Once again he found himself slowly opening his eyes with no idea of how much time had passed and a vague memory of a smiling nurse pushing something into the drip-line that ran in his right arm.

It couldn't have been that long. Jack was still in the chair next to him, still reading paper. "Do you ever finish that?"

"Second-year papers. How are you?"

Mike thought that was going to be the only question anyone was going to ask him for a while. "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Jack asked

"Leave the DA's office; it was your life."

"That was the problem, I'm happy now, I work less."

"I can see that." Mike tipped his head toward the stack of papers and instantly wished he hadn't. A few deep breaths, and with his eyes closed he continued. "Connie tells me I'm Bureau Chief."

"You're doing a damn good job too ... It would be a shame to see you go."

''Go?" Mike could hear the hesitation in Jack's voice like he was talking out of school. "It's what I've always wanted, why would leave?"

"You wanted to know how you would go about moving to LA," Jack explain while keeping his face neutral.

"Is that why Connie is here? Are we?"

"I don't know, but Dekker called to ask how you are, he mentioned that Connie had given her notice and told him that she was moving back to New York."

"So …" Mike again closed his eyes, "I'm still shooting for something I can't have."

"Maybe you two just need to talk?"

"I've been talking for three ..." Mike stopped for a moment and turned his head, so he was facing Jack, his eyes now open." No four and a half years?" Mike paused again as if he was checking that was right. "All I've achieve is me wanting to move to LA and Connie coming back to New York." Mike turned back to the ceiling and closed his eyes, "I need to leave the poor girl alone."

xXxXxXxXx

You never know, part 8 should be out in under a year.