A/N Clearly I'm being influenced by Emergency fan fic. At least I didn't name the ambulance attendants Gage and Desoto. ;)

Mike hovered over his young partner. He checked both bullet wounds and found that the injury to his side was worse. Steve was standing sideways to the gunman and if the bullet took a direct path from the point of entry, Mike reasoned there could be very severe internal injuries.

The bleeding from the shoulder wound was not nearly as severe. Mike thought that the bullet bypassed any major artery. Mike checked Steve's carotid pulse and noticed it was racing.

From there, the detective examined Steve's head injury. It was clear that when Steve fell, he hit his head on the edge of the sidewalk. The bleeding was substantial.

"Mike," Spags called over somewhat out of breath. "You need to put something under his head. It looks bad. Perhaps he has a skull fracture. The hard concrete isn't helping."

"Yeah," Mike said completely distracted. He looked around and saw one of the attorney's from the DA's office standing nearby. "Arnie…"

"Mike, help is on the way," the attorney responded gently. "What can I do in the meantime?"

"Can I have your scarf?" Mike said, referring to the scarf that was draped around Arnie's neck and tucked neatly under his coat collar.

"Sure thing, here." He handed the scarf to Mike who attempted to fold it into makeshift padding. "Here, let me…" Arnie offered.

Arnie folded the scarf and carefully placed it under the injured detective's head. "I'm sorry, Mike. I'll keep Steve in my prayers."

"Thanks," the older detective replied with a catch in his voice.

Five minutes later, the ambulance arrived. Two attendants wheeled the first stretcher over to the crime scene. "We have three injured, but this man is the most serious," Mike directed. "He's a police detective." While it never made any difference in terms of level of care, it was still good to know of whom they were treating.

The attendants both nodded their understanding as they bent down to assess Steve's condition. The scarf that Arnie placed under Steve's head was soaked through with the officer's blood.

"There are two others," he pointed to Spags. "He took a bullet to the arm and then fell hard." Mike looked around for Foster. "Where's Foster?"

Young replied. "I have him, Lieutenant. I'll get him over to the hospital."

Mike nodded. Mike would later replay the shooting scene repeatedly in his mind to figure out how things could have turned so horribly wrong. But for the moment, his attention and concern was focused on the three men injured, especially his partner.

Mike followed Steve's stretcher over to the ambulance. Spags was not far behind. "He's my partner. May I ride with him?"

"Absolutely, sir." replied one of the attendants. It would be a tight fit with two on stretchers and Mike sitting in, but he wanted to be with Steve the whole way.

SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF

The ambulance attendant radioed the local hospital to report the status of both injured men.

"St John's, we're transporting two shooting victims. Victim #1 is a police officer. Approximate age, mid to late twenties. He has bullet wounds to the side and shoulder, plus a possible skull fracture. He is bleeding from the head and unconscious. His pupils are dilated."

Mike could hear the hospital answer back. "Please proceed with vital signs."

"Pulse is 140. BP is 85 over 65. Respiration is shallow."

"Go ahead and start an IV," the hospital replied.

"Roger." Mike watched the ambulance attendant start an IV in Steve's limp arm. A fear ran through Mike as he realized that Steve's pressure was too low.

"Go ahead with Victim #2 when you are ready," the hospital responded.

"Roger. Victim #2 is a man, approximate age sixty. He has a bullet wound to the arm. He is alert and complaining of soreness in his hip and tailbone area."

"Immobilize the victim. What are his vitals?"

"Pulse is 120. BP is 130 over 100."

"Go ahead and start an IV for Victim #2."

The attendant did as he was told. The ambulance pulled up to the ER entrance ten minutes later.

SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF

"Mike," Rudy greeted the older detective who had been pacing the surgical waiting room for nearly an hour. "I came as soon as I heard about the shooting. What the hell happened? And how is Steve?"

"He's in bad shape, Rudy. I was with him in the ER and then they rushed him into surgery. He was hit twice and more than likely has a skull fracture."

"But how?"

"A shooter appeared at the steps of the side entrance and blasted away. He was going after Charlie Spagnozzi. He got him, too."

"Is Spagnozzi dead?"

"No. He took a hit in the arm. It was probably the fall that did the most damage. He's in surgery for the bullet wound. The other thing the docs were trying to do was figure if he broke his hip or tailbone."

"Do you have a description of the shooter?"

"Yes, I got a good look at him. He knew me by name, but I didn't recognize him."

"Probably a hired gun," Rudy offered.

"That's what I figure. You know, I think the shooter thought he killed Spags."

"Interesting. I heard one of the uniformed guys was hit. Who was it?"

"It was Foster. He was hit in the hand, but it was just a crease. It was enough to knock the gun out of his grip. He's still in the ER."

"It's puzzling that the shooter was okay with you seeing him and didn't kill Foster. Yet, he went after Steve pretty hard and of course was trying to take out Spagnozzi."

"Steve knocked Spags out of the way. The two bullets he took were meant for Charlie," Mike replied. "I think the hit was directed at Spags and there was no intention of taking anyone else out."

"One of Livingston's men?" Rudy asked.

"Probably likely, but it could be anyone. Spags has made quite a few enemies through the years."

Mike returned to his pacing. "How long is this going to take?" he asked to no one in particular.

"Easy, Mike. If Steve has internal injuries, the surgery could take hours. That would be completely normal," Rudy tried to console.

SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF SOSF

Five hours later, the surgeon appeared in the waiting room. "Is someone here for Steve Keller?"

Mike turned quickly as Rudy stood. "We are. Doc, is Steve going to be okay?"

"I won't sugar coat this, officers. It's very serious. He lost substantial blood and has sustained severe injuries internally and a skull fracture."

"Will he make it?" Rudy asked.

The doctor replied, "Let me put it this way: the next twenty four hours will be critical."