A/N: Well, this is it. The final chapter. Thank you so much for sticking with me through the procrastination, the ridiculously long hiatuses, and most importantly, the crappy writing. It really, really means a lot.

Shoutouts:

wendykw: I'm glad you noticed about the love thing, I was trying to make it clear that Rick really loved Kate. And about the sex thing, it is an AU, so I made it more like they aren't having sex.

When Derrick Storm blinked his eyes open, the first face he saw was Nikki's.

"Hi," she exclaimed, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She was wearing a white collared blouse and black slacks; a common detective's clothes. Her long brown hair tumbled over her shoulders, the curls practically reaching her elbows.

Storm frowned, taking in the white glare. He found himself in a hospital bed, surrounded by white walls and green shrubberies. There was a purple vase filled with red roses on his table, as well as balloons that read, "It's a boy!"

Heat giggled a little. "Sorry. Rook said they were the only ones left in the store."

"Where…" he started, his voice trailing off. "Where am I?"

Nikki looked a little more serious now. "You're in a hospital room, in New York," she said. Her voice turned shy and childish as she added, "You got hurt pretty bad, Derrick."

"What happened with the case?"

Nikki looked down. "Well, uh, when we found you, you had passed out from inhaling too much smoke. The fire was dying, and when we finally got it out, we found your note, and we did what you asked. We found incriminating evidence against Jedidiah Jones, enough to get him behind bars for triple homicide and attempted murder."

Storm tried to adjust forward to see her, but he found himself unable to move his legs. "Why—"

"I'm so sorry, Storm," she said quietly. "The bullet pierced your tailbone, and the fire didn't much help," she began, looking down again at her hands, which were wrung together in her lap. "You've been paralyzed from the waist down."

Storm sat for a moment in silence, letting the life-changing news sink in. No more chasing criminals. No more catching bad guys. No more CIA. A hysterical laugh bubbled at his lips. "I guess that means we won't be going dancing anytime soon," he tried to joke, but it sort of came out as a sob.

Nikki smiled sadly. "As soon as you're out of this bed, I swear to God, we are going down to the Palladium, and I will have your wheelchair spinning faster and groovier on that dance floor, and every single man in that room will be jealous."

"Yeah," he mumbled, chuckling a little. "Hey, Nikki," he said softly, "can you adjust the bed back a little?"

She smiled. "Yeah, of course. Anything for my brave and handsome hero."

He laughed out loud. "Damn," he said. "I could get used to that."

After about a day, the hospital allowed Storm to leave the bed area, and he was left to wheel freely around the hospital. He spent his time wheeling around the parking lot, taking in the essence of outside that he had once taken advantage of.

Nikki spent all of her spare time with him, playing cards and such. One time, she even brought an old fashioned record player and dressed up like a 1950s dancer, and she spun him all around the room. He was so grateful for her kindness; he wasn't sure if he would have made it through the long days without her enigmatic spirit.

Raley and Ochoa would sometimes accompany her, but even if they couldn't, they always stopped by on Mondays, bringing pizza, beer, and they'd watch Monday night football in the hospital break room.

Captain Montrose even stopped by once and presented him with a medal of honor.

The only person who didn't show their face was Rook. But Storm didn't mind that. He hated the guy, anyway.

After about two weeks in the hospital, however, the reporter accompanied Nikki, Raley, and Ochoa.

"Rook," he said sternly.

"Storm," the man responded back, looking down on him from his standing position.

Nikki laughed softly, trying to diffuse the tension. "I figured the card game would be a little more interesting with an extra player."

"You figured wrong," Rook mumbled, and Nikki elbowed him in the ribs. "OW!" he exclaimed, "Unnecessary!"

She rolled her eyes, "Baby."

He made a face at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"What happened between you two?" Storm interjected. "Something feels… different."

Nikki shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about." But he could tell something was off.

Raley won at cards, but the game was one of the most interesting they'd ever played. From then on, Rook made it a priority to come to cards twice a week.

After several more days, Rook was back and playing. He was currently beating Storm and the boys at gin rummy, but they didn't know about the three aces Storm was hiding.

He heard a knocking at the door and saw Nikki leaning against the frame, wearing a beautiful blue dress. "Hi, boys. I was wondering if I could borrow Rook for a moment, I need to talk to him about a case."

Rook smiled graciously and stood up, leaving Storm alone with Roach.

After around 20 minutes, Nikki and Rook still weren't back.

"I'm going to go see what they're up to," Storm said, wheeling himself out from the table. He rolled into the hallway, stopping in the doorframe when he saw two figures in the distance, engaged in a heated discussion.

Suddenly, he saw Nikki throw herself on Rook, pressing her lips into his. Storm watched as Rook's surprise set in, and then he wrapped his arms around her waist, slamming her against the wall opposite.

Storm felt his beer bottle slip from his hands, and the two figures slipped apart.

"Oh," Nikki whispered. "Storm, I—"

"Oh, save it," Storm said, and he rolled out.

Storm's wheelchair teetered on the edge of the steps out front of the hospital when Nikki showed up. She sat down next to him, holding the left wheel still.

"I'm sorry."

Storm turned his neck to face her. "What for?"

"For being with Rook. I know you liked me, and…"

"You know," he said, "that's not why I'm angry. I'm angry that you weren't honest with me. I know the spark's gone, Nikki. I've known ever since I woke up in that hospital bed. I love you, Nikki. And I know you love me too, but not in the same way, because you love Rook. And that's okay. I hope that you two are very happy together."

Nikki smiled, extending her hand up to him. "Friends?"

Storm smiled back, taking it in his own. "Always."