AN: Wow! I certainly wasn't expecting this much feedback on my first chapter. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! To my anonymous reviewers: "maxie", "Daniela" and "Guest" (sorry I didn't see your name?) thank you for your kind words, I appreciate it greatly! Special thanks goes to my talented beta. My sincerest apologies for the delay in updating and apologies in advance for future delays. Real life is a little stressful right now and my muse tends to go into hiding when this happens. Hoping to get back into the swing and write more frequently when things settle down. In the meantime, I'll do my best to update whenever possible and I thank all my readers out there for their endless patience and support :-)

ACT II

It was well into the early hours of the morning by the time Mike and the lab crew wrapped things up at the house. The trip to the hospital was spent in awkward silence as Mike kept his eyes on the road despite the thin flow of traffic, while Jeannie leaned her head against the window with her eyes wide open, staring at nothing in particular.

Finally they arrived at General Hospital and the waiting game continued. The cup of coffee in Jeannie's hands provided her with some warmth to her frozen fingers but the ice cubes freezing her insides would not melt away. She shivered from head to toe every time her mind wandered back to Steve's blood soaked shirt and the pain in his green eyes. She jumped as something warm was draped around her shoulders.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Mike asked softly as he wrapped his coat around her slender shoulders and tried to rub some warmth back into her limbs. The waiting room was relatively warm and it worried him that Jeannie was trembling as if chilled.

"Yeah, Mike, I'm okay. I'm just worried that's all. What's taking them so long?" Jeannie asked fretfully.

"I just spoke to Dr. Moore. He's still in the operating theatre," Mike replied apprehensively.

"Can't they tell us anything about his condition?"

"Sweetheart, listen to me, they're doing everything they can to get that bullet out of him and fix the damage. In the meantime, it's not doing him any good or us if we badger the doctors. All we can do is wait," Mike took Jeannie by the shoulders and steered her toward an empty sofa. "Why don't you try and get some shut eye? It could be hours until we hear any news. I've got a few phone calls to make to the office. As soon as I hear any more about Steve, I'll let you know, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now get some rest," Mike gave Jeannie a reassuring smile as she curled herself up on the sofa, using Mike's coat as a blanket. Sighing, Mike waited until the young college girl's eyes drooped shut before he left the room and proceeded to the pay phone.

After several rings, Mike heard Rudy Olsen's voice on the other line. "It's Mike. I'm at the hospital. The doctors are still working on him in the OR. Have the boys found anything yet?"

"You're not going to like this. It looks like those crooks wore gloves. I've just spoken to the lab and so far the only prints they found belonged to you, Jeannie and Steve. They've still got plenty to check but the guys are exhausted and so am I. We've got road blocks in place and patrols canvassing the area. I'm going home before a search party is sent for me. You should get some rest yourself," Rudy suggested.

"Not a chance…" Mike began before he was cut short.

"Now listen to me Mike, you've been on the force long enough to have more sense than that. You're not doing yourself, Jeannie…"

"Now wait a minute…"Mike tried to argue his point but was forced into silence once more by Olsen's voice rising several notches on the other line.

"And Steve any good by running yourself to the ground! I mean it. I know how much Steve means to you but there's nothing you can do for him right now. Let the doctors and surgeons do their jobs. I'll send someone over to stay outside his room in case the bastard that did this tries to finish the job."

Mike took a deep breath before he responded in a calmer voice, "Okay, I'll wait with Jeannie in the waiting room and get try get some shut eye until Steve comes out of surgery. Once I see him and know he's going to be okay, I'll go home."

Olsen bade the Lieutenant goodnight and ended the call.

Sighing heavily, Mike turned away from the pay phone and headed toward the waiting room.

In the cold recesses of an alleyway, two shadows spoke in tense whispers.

"What are we going to do about the car? You should've left it behind!" the taller, broad shouldered man started to raise his voice.

"Keep it down, Tony! We can dump it in the bay," the heavyset, shorter man replied in hushed tones.

"Didn't you hear me? Damn it Wade, the cops are all over the place!" the man named Tony replied in exasperation.

"Alright, fine! Well, we can't leave it in my garage. We need to think of something."

"You were the one who wanted to drive off with it, not me!" Tony argued.

"Hey, you were the one who shot that cop! You probably killed the guy. If you waited and knocked him out, the cops wouldn't be crawling through the streets right now!" Wade retorted heatedly.

"Don't start that on me!" the older of the two men snapped before taking a breath and continued in calmer tones, "Okay, look, we'll have to leave the damn car at your place just for tonight. There's no use arguing over it unless you want to drive it through the road blocks. Just go home and we'll work it out in the morning."

The two men parted ways, each knowing they would be hunted down by San Francisco's finest if the young cop they left bleeding on the floor died.

Time seemed to be at a standstill as Mike Stone waited out yet another hour as he sat on the hard backed chair in the waiting room. He had deliberately opted to sit in the uncomfortable seating rather than the sofa to ensure he wouldn't fall into a heavy sleep. The incessant ticking of the clock was beginning to grate on his nerves and he forced his eyes to tear themselves away. His gaze fell on his daughter's sleeping form, curled up on the sofa beside him. The muscles in her face twitched involuntarily, telling him that the young college girl's sleep was far from peaceful.

"Mike?" Dr. Moore called out softly from the doorway of the waiting room.

The seasoned detective was on his feet in an instant. His hat fell from his lap on to the floor. Bending down to pick it up, he heard his daughter stirring from her fitful sleep. Mike straightened up after retrieving his hat then quietly ushered the doctor out of the room. Stepping out into the corridor, the two men walked a few steps away from the waiting area as not to be over heard by Jeannie.

"How is he, doctor?" Mike croaked.

"Serious but stable. We've managed to remove the bullet but he may have to go back into surgery depending on if any complications arise. He also sustained a broken rib when the bullet entered his body. It slowed its progression and may have saved his life," the doctor continued solemnly.

"Can I see him?"

Dr. Moore opened his mouth to inform Mike he'd have to wait a few hours but after seeing the plea in the older man's eyes, he nodded slowly and replied, "Only for a few minutes. He's just regaining consciousness, so please hold off on the questions. I know you have a duty to catch whoever did this to him but Steve is no condition to be distressed."

"I understand doc. I just want to see him."

"Follow me," the physician led Mike along the almost deserted corridor, away from the waiting room.

Mike pulled up a seat and sat beside the semi-conscious young man who lay on the bed with his eyes half closed. An IV line snaked away from his arm, connected to a drip beside Steve's bed. Swallowing, Mike gripped the bed rail and peered at his partner's pale complexion.

"M-Mike?" Steve slurred.

"I'm right here, buddy boy. You just take it easy," Mike replied in a gravelly voice.

"Two…two men in your house…they…I couldn't see…"Steve weakly began but the anaesthetics were wearing off and the pain in his abdomen became too intense for him to continue. Hot bile began to build and rise up through his oesophagus. He swallowed and took a deep breath, only to wince as his damaged rib protested.

Mike reached over the rail and gently but firmly placed a hand on Steve's shoulder as the young man struggled to speak in his distress. "Easy, easy buddy boy. We'll have plenty of time for you to tell me later, when you're feeling better."

"No, Mike, I have to…" the young cop mumbled desperately as he raised his head an inch above the pillow.

"Steve, the boys are out there now. Whoever did this to you won't get far," Mike paused when he saw Steve's eyes closing and his head leaning back into the pillow. "Steve?"

The pain and exhaustion from his efforts to communicate with his mentor overwhelmed the young detective, taking him under once again.

Mike turned his head at the sound of the door opening and Dr. Moore entering the room with a nurse close by. "Doc, he's…"

"It's alright Mike. He's just lost consciousness," Dr. Moore assured the Lieutenant as he checked his patient's vitals. "You can come back to see him in a few hours but right now he needs his rest. We're keeping him closely monitored and you'll be notified of any changes to his condition."

Mike nodded, unable to speak. His gaze was fixed on his partner's still form laying on the bed looking helpless and vulnerable. The sadness and heartache within him morphed into anger and determination to find and lock away the perpetrators who almost took away the life of one of the two most important people in his life. Tearing his eyes away from the young man, Mike turned around and walked out the door with his head bowed low to hide the burning tears that begun to form in his blue eyes.

Jeannie stirred to wakefulness and looked around the waiting room only to find she was all alone. Keeping her father's coat draped around her slender shoulders, she climbed to her feet and made her way to the door. Stepping out into the corridor, her piercing blue gaze sought her father. The sight of Mike walking out of a room nearby caught her attention and she started toward him. Was he with Steve? She felt a twinge of annoyance that her father didn't waken her to tell her about Steve but it quickly evaporated when she watched him bury his face in his hands and sinking into a chair in the corridor. Covering her mouth with one hand to stifle a whimper, Jeannie stood in the middle of the corridor, out of fear of what she might hear if she approached Mike.

Sensing a presence nearby, Mike took his hands away from his face and turned his head to one side. Taking a deep breath, he quickly rose from the chair and hurried toward his daughter.

With an anguished cry, Jeannie flew into Mike's arms.