A/N: Sorry for leaving you with that cliffhanger – hopefully this will make up for it! ;)

"I'll get someone to take you up," Maggie said.

It had taken a moment, but Sylvie had finally calmed down enough to actually hear what Maggie had been saying. Stella, beside her, was staring at her in shock and worry.

"I'm gonna head back to the ambo, yeah? You should see him on your own," Stella said, voice gentle and sweet. Sylvie nodded silently – she agreed.

A nurse appeared that Maggie had found and she escorted Sylvie upstairs. She hadn't been in this part of the hospital since she'd been shot, and her side was throbbing at the memory. And to think that now Antonio was practically in the same boat.

Stabbed. He'd been doing his job, and someone had stabbed him. Surely he was going to be okay, but Sylvie couldn't help but feel awful.

Had he been stabbed because of what Kim said? That he was being odd, a little more reckless, after Sylvie decided that they should have a bit of a break? Was Antonio being stabbed simply because of that? She couldn't breathe.

The nurse stopped outside the room and pointed at the door that he was behind. The curtain was pulled over the glass so that Sylvie couldn't see a thing.

After the nurse had disappeared, Sylvie took a deep breath. She could do this. This was Antonio – the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Lying injured in a hospital bed, potentially because of her. She shook her head. She could do this. This was easy. This was nothing.

She took one step closer toward the door, and panic flared up. She couldn't do this. This was too soon. Facing Antonio, even facing Gabby and Matt after this... it was impossible. At the last minute, Sylvie turned away from the door and hurried back towards the elevator, shoving her hands in her pockets.

She couldn't deny the hurt she felt about Antonio being hurt, or the feelings about not going in to see him, but the idea of seeing him so injured... it was too much for her. She kept her head down as she walked back through the emergency room and back to Stella and the ambo.

Stella, thankfully, didn't ask questions when Sylvie climbed up inside the ambo and put on her seatbelt. She just pulled away from Med without a second thought. Sylvie sighed and let her head fall back against the back of the seat, trying not to dwell on the fact that Antonio was back at Med, injured, potentially because of her.

Kim was at work when Sylvie woke up on her day off. There was a note left on the kitchen counter, telling her that she had bought new yogurt for breakfast, and that she'd be home around seven. Sylvie had no plans for the day. She hadn't seen Gabby since the time she left the firehouse, and the rest of the shift the day before had been pretty uneventful.

Sylvie served herself up some yogurt, and found a banana to cut up and eat with it. It was nearly mid-day, and the only reason Sylvie was up so early after such a long shift was because she simply couldn't sleep not knowing if Antonio was okay or not. She knew that she should have gone and seen him when she had the chance, but that would have been painful too. She just wasn't sure how to handle it.

After breakfast, Sylvie changed out of her pyjamas and pulled her laptop out, getting comfortable on Kim's couch and trying to find something to do – perhaps watch a film, or catch up on some TV. She clicked on a movie, ready to read the synopsis, when there was a knock on the door.

Frowning, Sylvie stood up and crossed Kim's apartment, forgetting to look through the peep hole and pulling the door open.

Gabby stood on the other side.

She smiled sadly at Sylvie. "Can I come in? I think we need to talk."

Sylvie's heart was beating faster at the mere sight of Gabby. She hadn't been intentionally avoiding her, and it was just luck that she didn't have to work with her all day yesterday, but still, she wasn't ready to see any members of Antonio's family.

As soon as the two were sat on the couch, and Sylvie's laptop closed, Gabby began to talk.

"Antonio is doing well," she said, beginning strong. Sylvie held her breath – this was going to be difficult. "They caught the guy who did it, and he's going to have a few weeks to months recovery, but he's going to be okay."

"That–that's good," Sylvie nodded, her voice high pitched and awkward.

Gabby smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it really is. He, uh, he asked me this morning about you, actually. Maggie said that she sent you up to see him, but we didn't see you there yesterday."

Sylvie took a deep breath. "Uh, she did, actually. I, um, I chickened out. I couldn't. I just– I started to panic and worry about everything and so I just left... I should have come in to see how he was doing but I just... I couldn't breathe, Gabby."

Gabby smiled sadly at Sylvie. "Hey, it's okay. But just... you gotta see him, okay? He misses you, and he wants to talk to you. Even if you're on a break – yes, he told me about that – he wants to talk. And I think you should."

"You're right," Sylvie sighed, slouching back on the couch. "It's just hard."

"I know it is. But it'll be worth it. You two have a lot to work out."

Sylvie hummed and nodded slowly. "We do... but I– I just– I can't help but feel like this is all my fault, Gabby. I mean... Kim said Antonio was acting weird at work, being distant and different... what if he– what if he got caught off guard because of me? I couldn't... I couldn't live with that."

She hadn't even noticed, but tears had slowly started to slide down her cheeks. Even the idea of Antonio being hurt because of her caused her more pain than she'd care to admit. She sniffed, and Gabby frowned, instantly moving to wrap her arms around her and pull her closer.

"Hey, don't you dare think that, okay? It was not your fault. Antonio was caught off guard, yeah, but that's just because the guy was hiding and Antonio couldn't see him. It's not because he was thinking about you. It's not your fault, not at all."

Sylvie appreciated the hug – she didn't like the fact that she was sobbing into Gabby's shoulder, but it was truly what she needed, a Dawson hug. Even the thought of hugging Antonio made her heart flutter, but for now this was all she had, and the friendship she had with Gabby was enough to make her feel stronger and take away the thought of Antonio getting hurt because of her.

Gabby rubbed her back and soothed her until she calmed down. Sylvie eventually pulled away and rubbed her eyes. She sniffed again, and shook her head.

"I have to go and see him."

Gabby nodded. "Yeah, Syl, you do."

Antonio's face lit up when he saw Sylvie standing at the door of his room. As soon as Gabby had left, Sylvie had cleaned herself up, done her best to get rid of her teary eyes, and left Kim's apartment, heading straight to the hospital.

She was afraid to see Antonio, in all honesty, but she knew she needed to conquer that fear. He was hurt, and even though she knew now that it had nothing to do with her, she couldn't help but feel bad. This was the person she cared about more than anyone, and him being hurt truly broke her heart.

"How are you doing?" She asked, voice soft as she wandered further into the room.

Antonio looked rough. He was propped up on the bed with a pillow, and his face was a little paler than usual. She couldn't see the wound, as he had the blankets up around his chest, but honestly she didn't want to.

"I've been better," he admitted.

She smiled at that and moved to sit on the chair beside his bed. He reached out a hand, and without a second thought she took it in her own and gave it a squeeze.

"You scared the living daylights out of me, you know that?" She muttered.

Antonio chuckled, and then winced. Her eyes flicked up to him straight away. He waved her worry away with a hand and shook his head. "I'm fine, it's nothing."

Sylvie sighed. "Antonio, I–I don't want to lose you, ever."

"You won't," he shook his head. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for overreacting – you were just worried and you–"

He cut her off. "No, baby, no. You don't need to apologise. If anyone here needs to apologise, it's me. I'm the one that was being stupid, stupid and stubborn. I was so worried when you said you wanted a break. I don't want to lose you either."

She smiled sadly up at him, her eyebrows knitted together. "You won't."

"Listen," Antonio said, voice quiet. He squeezed her hand and looked down at her, meeting her gaze. His eyes were full of emotion, and her heart fluttered at the sight. "Sylvie Brett, I'm in love with you. Completely and utterly head over heels in love with you. I don't want to spend another day without you in my life. The idea of being without you is one I can't even comprehend, baby. So, if you'll let me, I want to be back in your life. I want to be with you. To really be with you."

Sylvie could have sworn her heart had stopped beating. There were definitely tears in her eyes and she couldn't believe what he was saying. In love with her. Completely and utterly head over heels in love. She took a breath, and then smiled up at him.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm in love with you too, I suppose," she grinned. At that, she stood up from the chair and leant over the side of the bed, pressing her lips to his. He smiled into the kiss, one of his hands moving to her waist as they kissed. It was a bit of an awkward position to be kissing in, he had to admit, but regardless, he didn't care. Because Sylvie Brett was kissing him, and that was all that mattered.

She pulled away a few moments later, almost gasping for breath, yet there was still a smile plastered to her face. "Antonio," she muttered, leaning in closer to him, so their faces were only inches apart. "Don't scare me like that again, okay? I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you. How on earth are we going to have kids if you go and die on me, huh?"

He smirked at that, and pressed his lips to hers again. She chuckled and kissed him back passionately. This was what Sylvie was afraid of? She had nothing to be afraid of, nothing at all. Because the man she loved was alive and in her arms, and they were going to be just fine.