Shawn woke up on the way to the hospital. Almost before his eyes were open, he started struggling. The EMTs did what they could, but he just became more violent. And then they used restraints. Henry froze at the sounds coming from his son. Growing up, Shawn very rarely let on when he was in true pain. Small nicks and cuts… tiny bruises, sure- anything for sympathy or to get out of chores. But real injuries… hell, he hadn't even used a dislocated kneecap to avoid finishing the doghouse. It was one of the things that made him who he was; as much a part of his personality as his aggravating humor, spontaneity, and endless good spirits. But the moment his wrists were restrained… Henry didn't think it was possible for Shawn to scream like that. He started thrashing his body, trying to throw off the hands that held him down. Henry stood immediately, but was pushed back by one of the EMTs.

"HOLD HIM DOWN!"

"SIR, YOU NEED TO STAY BACK…"

"GET ME TWO CCs OF LORAZEPAM!"

"WATCH HIS HEAD!"

Shawn's eyes were squeezed shut as the needle plunged into his arm. Every muscle was tensed, and the veins on the side of his neck bulged. He'd stopped screaming, but an animal-like growl forced its way past his teeth. It wasn't until the ambulance arrived at the emergency room that the sedative finally started taking effect. Slumping back down on the stretcher, Shawn's fingers continued to twist in the fabric at his sides. The moment the ambulance came to a halt, the doors were pulled open and the medics rushed for the ER, Henry racing to keep up. Once inside, questions were shouted back and forth- what were his vitals, BP, temp, were his airways blocked, any blood-loss, pupil response, any complaints of nausea, any vomiting… etc, etc. Many questions were directed at Henry as well- did he have any allergies, any reactions to medications, any prior heart condition… and he answered each quickly, trying to keep his eyes locked on his son.

One of the emergency room nurses pressed his hand against Shawn's side, drawing a stifled groan. "I'm detecting a fracture, middle right side- broken third rib with probable damage to the fourth…" Another nurse checked Shawn's eyes, noting the possibility of a concussion. As the first man grasped his wrist in preparation to take his pulse, Shawn started whipping his head back and forth… weakly protesting.

Chief Vick reached Henry's side just as a doctor appeared next to Shawn, taking control of the patient.

"What's happening Henry…"

Henry whirled on the Chief, pointing at his son, who was being wheeled swiftly to a curtained off section of the ER. "You tell me! What the hell happened to my kid!"

Karen stepped back a little, her spine stiffening. "Look, we only just got the call this morning…"

A doctor stepped up to the two, holding out his hands. "Hey, I need to ask you wait in the lounge area- I've got more patients coming in. As soon as we have news, we'll alert you..." Henry hesitated for just a moment, looking in the direction his son had been taken. Then, tightening his lips, he brushed past Karen and headed for the waiting area.

Several minutes later, his voice quieter but no less fierce, Henry continued. "I want to know what happened to my son, Karen!"

Vick stared back at him, shaking her head. "I'm not totally certain. We received a 911 recording at about six fifteen. Shawn was calling to say he'd been kidnapped, and then the call cut off suddenly… it sounded like by a gunshot. We were able to get a location, and got there as soon as possible. There were two people in the Laundromat with him, a man and a woman. We apprehended them, but Shawn wouldn't let us near him. And you know the rest."

Henry clenched his teeth, shaking his head angrily. "Damn it- that is not everything Karen! I saw Lassiter's face… and I saw…" He dropped his head for a second, fighting for composure. When he continued, his voice was shaking. "He flinched… Karen. Shawn didn't want me to touch him. Now what else did you see when you found him."

Karen dropped her eyes, and Henry felt something cold and heavy settle in his chest as she spoke. "When we got there, the female suspect was standing in the doorway… watching. Just watching. She gave up quickly. When I got inside… the male perp was… on top of Shawn. He… uh… he had… unzipped his pants and…" She shook her head. "Henry, I don't know what happened. We stopped him before he could do anything… but as to what may have occurred earlier…"

Henry turned away, dizziness and nausea washing over him. He couldn't face this… he couldn't deal with this. The thought of Shawn… the kid who knocked his shoulder out of its socket and called it a minor abrasion… the boy that looked Henry square in the eye and denied eating the last jelly donut- while trying to hide the fact that he was wiping his hands off on his hem…

Henry stood quickly, his hands shaking as he fought back the acid in the back of his throat. The possibility that Shawn had been ra…. he banished the word, not capable of tying it to his son's name. But he remembered how Shawn flinched away… how he cried, wrenchingly, against his chest… And he couldn't fight it anymore.

He barely made it to the men's room.

0o0o0o0

He was still standing over the sink, hot water running freely, when the doctor whom he'd seen earlier, found him. The man stood silently as Henry turned off the faucet, dabbing at his face with a paper towel. Finally, as Henry straightened, the doctor nodded to the door. "Can we talk?"

From this side of the question, he understood why his son hated being asked that. Nodding mutely in response, he followed the doctor back to the waiting room. By this time, Gus had also arrived, pacing back and forth in agitation. Karen was sitting on one of the couches near the wall, but stood as the two men approached. Gus joined her, his face tight with worry. Gathering the three people in a more secluded area, the doctor began.

"I don't know what you know of Shawn's attack, but I'll run through what we've managed to determine so far. Of his most severe injuries is the fractured third rib. He apparently was quite active after the initial break, as there is some trauma to the surrounding tissue. We also found hairline fractures on the second and fourth ribs, so he needs to be kept immobilized until we can be sure he won't exacerbate the injury any further. He has a minor concussion, but so far there is no sign of swelling. However, I'd like to run a CT scan just to be safe. He has a great deal of bruising on a large portion of his body, with most of the more extensive damage localized on his midsection. An initial examination didn't reveal any organ damage, but again- I want to keep a close eye on him for now. Besides that, there are numerous contusions and a couple of minor lacerations, one of which required about six stitches…"

Henry cleared his throat, crossing his arms tightly. "Doctor… have you had a chance… I mean, did you examine him for…" Damn it, he couldn't say it!

"There is a strong chance he may have been raped." Said Karen softly. Henry heard Gus make a strangled noise before bolting from the group. Though the question needed to be asked, Henry felt sudden shame for not speaking to Gus first. Bad enough without hearing it like that.

The doctor looked startled, which answered Henry's question in part. They hadn't checked. No matter, it could wait. "Can I see my son?" He asked. He clenched his hands into fists, barely feeling it as his nails bit into his palms. The doctor nodded. "This way."

Henry turned to Karen, who placed a hand on his arm. "I'll wait here with Gus." Unable to smile, Henry gave her hand a quick pat before following the doctor.

0o0o0o0

Shawn had been moved from the ER to a private room in ICU where they could monitor his injuries over the next twenty-four hours. When Henry entered the room, he was disturbed to see that the restrains had yet to be removed from Shawn's wrists and ankles. Seeing the direction of his gaze, the doctor spoke up. "We were concerned about further injury…"

Henry leveled a glare at the doctor, and somehow managed to keep his voice calm. "Get those god-damned things off him now, or I will." Apparently deciding he wouldn't win this particular discussion, the doctor complied.

"If he wakes up and becomes uncontrollable, I need to be alerted immediately."

Barely nodding, Henry seated himself by Shawn's side. He wanted to touch his hand, assure himself that Shawn was actually there and safe. But considering the way the kid had acted before…

Instead, Henry dropped his head in his hands.

0o0o0o0

An hour passed by at an excruciating pace. And then another. Both Karen and Gus stopped in for a while, trying to start conversations before tapering off into silence. Somehow, being in the room with Shawn, yet not hearing him speak, joke, rile, tease, or infuriate… stole the life from the rest of them.

Karen left first, needing to oversee interrogations of the two kidnappers. Gus wanted to stay until Shawn woke up, but Henry insisted he leave for a while. Besides, he needed to talk to Shawn alone first, and the last thing his son needed was to share something potentially degrading and humiliating with his best friend looking on.

So Henry waited. At one point, a sympathetic nurse stopped by with a cup of coffee and a sandwich. It wasn't until then that Henry remembered he hadn't eaten breakfast, much less lunch. Still, he couldn't eat. He kept thinking about Shawn's eyes, how they'd looked so hollow even as he was forcing humor. Like he was trying to force away what had happened by pretending everything was normal.

Sipping his coffee, Henry felt a tremor run through his body. If the man who had done this to his son was standing before him now… he may have been a cop once, but he had no illusions about this. He would shoot the bastard dead.

"Dad…"

He set down his cup quickly, turning toward the bed. Shawn's eyes were blinking slowly as he fought the sedative that was still in his system.

"Hey kid." Said Henry, forcibly keeping his hands in his lap. Shawn licked his lips, still appearing confused. He looked around the room, his eyes focusing as he seemed to figure out where he was.

"I'm… inna- hospital?" He asked lethargically. Henry nodded. "Yep. You got knocked around pretty good."

Shawn's eyes closed again, and Henry thought he'd fallen asleep again when he groaned, turning his head. "What… what happ…" And suddenly Shawn stiffened. His breathing sped up and he clutched at his bedding. Henry was standing before he was even aware of it, his hands hovering near Shawn's arm.

"Slow down, slow down…"

"Dad!" Shawn's voice was strangled as he stared up at Henry. Henry reached for the call button, but Shawn's hand on his wrist stopped him. "No… I- I'm okay… I'm okay…" The look in his eyes belied that, but Henry stopped. Instead, he placed his other hand over Shawn's fingers, feeling the slight trembling.

"Kid… can you tell me what happened?" Shawn trembled even more, his free hand still digging into the bedding. His face was drained of color as he clenched his jaw. As a minute passed without a response, Henry was beginning to think Shawn wasn't up to it. But he should have given him more credit. Though his hand was still shaking, his son was obviously forcing himself calm. Once his breathing slowed, he turned his eyes on his father. He seemed to be searching for the right place to start. Henry sat down again, somehow pulling off a weak smile. "How about the beginning… how did you meet this woman?"

His words slow at first… hesitant, as began to reconstruct the previous night.

"Her name was Erin… just Erin… like Cher… or Prince… She ran into me outside the office… said she worked down the street from me… asked if I wanted to go out…" As Shawn described how he'd been ambushed, then left for hours on the ocean shore, Henry felt a resurgence of his rage. And he also felt guilt, imagining how he'd been settling into bed while his son was being tortured. Shawn didn't notice the change in his demeanor though, and continued on, describing the truck ride, but glossing over the beating he endured. Henry let it pass, for now. He knew Shawn would have to give a more detailed statement to the police. For the moment, Henry needed him to talk. To keep this inside would only allow it to poison him.

Shawn's voice steadied as he went on to talk about the house where he'd been held, taking a lot of time to describe the neighborhood, the interior, the creaking stairs. Henry let him. It was just another way of trying to hold off discussing the rest of what had happened to him. But when he started in on the exact shade of green that had been painted on the basement walls, Henry held up his hand.

"Shawn…"

The younger man stopped, his calm expression ruined by the hand squeezed around Henry's fingers. He stared upward for a few more moments, obviously wavering… and then he nodded, once. Breathing in deeply, he closed his eyes.

"They cuffed me in a chair, taped my feet to the legs. And then they left. There was a phone in the room… so I slipped the cuffs, got the tape off, and went for it." Shawn bit his lip, shaking his head. "It was just another part of the game though… I should have seen it…" He paused again, breathing in shallowly, wincing a little. "They came back in, knocked me down… Andrew started hitting me, but I got my hand on the cuffs. I cuffed him to the chair. And then Erin pulled her gun. I was pretty sure she was gonna shoot me… but instead… she uh… she told me to run… she told me she wanted to watch as A-Andrew…" He stopped again, squeezing his eyes tighter, pressing his lips together. Henry was about to stop him when Shawn exhaled. "I ran. I didn't think I'd get out, he was right behind me. He caught me once, but I did that move you showed me… I think I maybe broke his nose. I got about one more block before I remembered the Laundromat. I had to hide by some garbage cans until Andr… until he ran by. And then I went back the other way. I figured there had to be phone… they always had pay phones at those things. And there was. It even worked. I got through, but then I realized… I thought about Erin, how she wanted to watch. I realized she had to have followed me. I dropped the phone just in time, she probably would have shot my hand otherwise. She didn't shoot again though… and I thought I might actually be able to take her…"

Henry bit back a curse at the thought of his son trying to overcome an armed attacker. Of all the foolhardy… but Shawn wasn't paying attention, and his voice grew suddenly soft. "I didn't get the chance… she moved to the side… and He was there… smiling. He was smiling." The pause this time was longer, to the point Henry wasn't sure he could finish. But, stubborn even in the face of his horrific experience, Shawn forced a deep breath, rubbing his free hand across his forehead. "He came at me… tackled me… he… he…." And he just couldn't finish. Henry's fears jumped at the stricken look on Shawn's face.

Please no…

"Shawn… did Andrew…" What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just ask the damn question? He'd spoken to dozens of victims in his course of being a cop. It was tough, sure, but he'd never shied from the word before.

Yeah, but it was never your son who was the victim…

Shawn opened his eyes, the flesh around them was swollen and red.

"No."

Henry breathed out in a rush, dropping his shoulders.

"But he tried to… he tried…" Shawn's voice finally cracked, and he turned his head quickly as tears slid down his face. Henry held onto his hand as his son fought desperately for control. It was rough, so badly did he want to just hold him, comfort him. But it was also the last thing Shawn wanted. He was already ashamed enough as it was.

It was several minutes before Shawn took a shuddering breath, turning his rugged face back towards Henry. His eyes were already starting to droop again as the sedative finally reasserted its control. Henry snagged a tissue from a nearby box and handed it to Shawn, who swiped it across his cheeks before wadding it into a ball and tossing it towards the garbage. Surprisingly, it made it in, and Shawn managed a small smile. "Point for me." He said softly. Henry was amazed to find himself chuckling. "Sure. I'll be sure to add that to your tally."

Shawn blinked heavily. "You… gonna… be here… a while…?"

Henry closed his hands tightly around Shawn's fingers. "I'm not going anywhere." And before he'd even finished, the kid was asleep, his breathing steady and soft.

Reaching out to caress his son's face, Henry wiped the last traces of tears from Shawn's eyes; offering the comfort he'd withheld earlier. Shawn's face turned toward him slightly, and Henry rubbed his cheek with a roughened thumb.

"I'm not going anywhere." He repeated.