The closer that Sharon got to the ambulance, the more she worried that she would be able to say the right thing to Andrea. There was never a good way to broach the subject of assault, and when it happened to a friend, the situation was even more fraught with landmines that she would have to dodge.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Andy approach Provenza and Tao, and she felt her shoulders relax a little, knowing that the best members of her team would be able to make headway on what had happened here tonight. Sharon knew that she would have to turn most of her focus on her friend and figure out how to best help Andrea. Finally, she was by the side of an EMT, and she reached out to touch his shoulder lightly. "Is Andrea awake?"

"She is, though we're getting ready to take her to the hospital. Whatever questions you need to ask, you'll need to make them quick."

She bristled a little at the brusque tone the man took, a frown turning her lips down as her eyes darted over to look at her friend. "I was planning on riding along with you to the hospital. I'll need to be there to collect the evidence." Her voice had taken on a low, deadly, tone which caused the younger man to gulp a little before nodding. "Good. Now, if you'd be so kind, I'll need your help getting into the rig."

"Yes, ma'am," he quietly replied, holding out his hand. Sharon clasped it and used his arm to leverage herself up inside, sliding along the bench until she was next to Andrea's head. The younger woman turned her face away, and it was then that Sharon saw her lovely blonde hair was matted and sticky with blood. She had to swallow thickly, as her supper was trying to make a reappearance.

"Andrea? Are you up to talking with me?" she asked as she reached out and clasped her hand, threading their fingers together. Andrea went to pull her hand away, and she shook her head a little, tightening her grip. "Honey?"

That simple word caused Andrea's eyes to close, and a few tears began to roll down her cheeks. The mother in Sharon wanted to bundle Andrea up in a tight hug, whispering in her ear that everything would be all right. She knew that was a lie, that it would take time for Andrea to heal, and that things would never be the same, no matter what. However, she had to think of her job in this case. The time for emotions would come later.

Squaring her shoulders, Sharon leaned in and watched Andrea's face carefully. "Andrea, I need to ask you some questions."

The blonde shook her head, wincing as she did so, trying to turn her body away from Sharon. Letting out a deep sigh, Sharon let go of her hand and brought her hand up to brush a piece of hair away from the younger woman's eyes. The sound of the rig's doors slamming shut startled them both, and Andrea fumbled around for Sharon's hand, grasping it so tightly that she thought the woman might break a bone if she wasn't careful. And then, their eyes met, and any thoughts of her personal care fled.

"Don't leave me," she whispered before closing her eyes once more. Even as she turned onto her side, she didn't let go of Sharon's hand, and the contact was bittersweet to her heart.

"I promise, Andrea. I will be by your side every step of the way."

"Good."

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the paramedic and narrowed her eyes a little, assessing him. "I'll need to ask you a few questions about what happened to Ms. Hobbs this evening. She's not ready to give me any details, and I do not want to push her."

Andrea squeezed her hand in an unsteady tattoo, letting Sharon know that she was grateful for the consideration, even if she couldn't vocalize those words. "What do you need to know?" he asked as he took a seat next to her, the rig starting to move as soon as he was seated.

"What happened?"

"As near as I can tell, Ms. Hobbs was attacked in her home this evening. The assailant bashed her head against something, which gave her a large laceration on her scalp, and is the reason for our concern. Head wounds are nothing to mess around with."

"And will we have to…"

"Perform a rape kit? Yes." Andrea's shoulders began to shake with his words, and Sharon firmed her grip, trying to let Andrea know that there was no way on earth that she would abandon her now. "From our cursory examination on the scene, there was extreme tearing and bruising to her genitals. And…"

"There's more?" she asked a bit incredulously, wondering what the assailant had done to her Andrea.

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm assuming this is what will make it a Major Crime," he murmured before trying to lift the thin sheet that was covering Andrea's body. With more strength than Sharon realized the woman possessed, she wrenched her hand free from their clasp and slammed it down onto the gurney.

"No."

"Andrea, honey, one of us is going to have to see and take pictures. And at this point, I know that you would prefer it to be either me or Amy. May I please look at what the paramedic is trying to show me?"

There was a long silence, and slowly, Andrea turned her head, meeting Sharon's gaze. There were tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, and she tried to give her a smile, though it wobbled a bit. Andrea finally gave a short, sharp, nod before turning her face away once more.

Sharon patted Andrea's hand gently before giving a pointed look at the paramedic. He seemed to take the hint, as he suddenly found himself quite busy with something that directed his gaze away from them. Tenderly, she lifted the sheet, focusing her gaze on the bare skin of her torso. The fresh wound marred otherwise flawless porcelain skin, and Sharon gasped a little at the crude mark.

"It's going to leave a scar. It's a good thing that I had planned on being single for the rest of my life." Sharon dropped the sheet, and picked up Andrea's hand, once more threading their fingers together. Andrea shuddered a little, and without meaning to, Sharon leaned in and kissed her cheek, wanting to comfort her in that moment. She tasted the salt of the younger woman's tears and let out a tiny hum of sadness. "Sharon, what am I going to do?"

"Let me take the lead for a little bit. I'll do my best to protect you, even though it won't be much. I know that everyone is going to be in your space, honey. I can try and be a buffer."

"That would be really nice," she whispered, giving her a wry smile before closing her eyes and wincing a little. "My head really hurts, and all I want to do is go to sleep."

"They probably won't let you until they know if you have a concussion or not. I know that you've been shot before, but this is nothing like that. If I tell you a story, will you be able to stay awake?"

"It all depends on what voice you use." Sharon let out a light laugh. "I'm serious! I've heard you drop your voice down to a sweet sibilance, lulling a perp into a false sense of security before you pounce on him. But oh, in that moment before your voice changes, it is the most…" Andrea's voice trailed off, as if she had been about to reveal something personal. Sharon didn't push her, though, wanting to let her have some privacy in this most intimate moment.

"All right, so I'll have to tell you a story and not put you to sleep. I'll let you choose."

"Tell me about your first love."

Sharon drew in a deep breath as she nodded, thinking back to her teenage years, and the first person she had ever fallen for. She only hoped that Andrea would be able to understand everything that she told her.