First Injury

On a Wednesday, it had happened. The one thing Sam feared more than anything. The reason he broke up with her two years ago. Not being able to hold it together if anything ever happened to her. Not being able to protect her from everything bad.

They were solid as rocks. Married for almost five months, and having Andy as his wife was the best thing in the world. Sometimes, he wondered why the hell he didn`t put a ring on her finger their first time around. And, she had stopped taking her birth control a week ago, so basically, anything could happen. Which made him feel like he hated that she was a cop. Hated that every day she put her own life at risk, every day, could be the last morning they woke up together.

He wanted her chained to a desk for the rest of her life, if that`s what it takes to jeep her out of danger.

He knew, that was never going to happen. She was a dedicated cop, his wife.

It had started out as a pretty normal day for both of them. They had come into work together, like they always did.

Travel mugs filled with home brewed coffee in hand and a "See you in parade", when she went to change into her uniform, and he into the d`s office to hang his leather jacket on his office chair. Then, he would pull her between his legs, having her safe in his embrace while Frank Best would run parade and assign partners and assignments for the day.

It was just like any other day. Except, it wasn`t.

It had been a few routine calls, a cat stuck in a tree, a couple of B&E`s, and Andy, along with her partner Gail had continues to circle their designated streets, grabbed a quick lunch and thought that they would make it through their shift unharmed this day too.

It`s when they were headed back to the station, that they decided to drive through Jane and Finch, making sure the basketball court was being used properly and by its intensions. More often than not, the court was occupied by gangs and drug dealers, which made it unsafe for other people. As cops, their job was to prevent it.

Walking towards a group of kids, Gail suggested they move their business elsewhere. "Break it up guys! This is a basketball court", she said as she stepped in between them. "Anyone have something on them that I don`t want to find?"

Andy was about to search through one kids pockets, when she heard shots. Several shots. It all happened so fast, and out of the blue, it was like she was struck by lightning, being stabbed and hit by a million bullets all at once.

The pain was different from anything she had ever felt, and she started to slip, fall and disappear into the dark. It was black.

Sam was going through a file when several officers, heavy armed and about to leave the station, when he got up.

"Frank! What`s going on?"

"Swarek, I need you come with me!", he yelled as he came closer to him.

"What? Why? Is it... Is it Andy?,Frank, I need to know! I have the right to know!"

"Drive by shooting at Jane and Finch. Gail called it in. McNally`s been shot!"

Frank watched his friend's face transform into a different face entirely. One that he had never seen before and one that scared him both at once.

"She's on her way to Toronto General. Come on, I`m driving you", he assured him.

"I need to know Frank! How bad? How bad is it?"

"I don`t know Sam, okay? But we need to go!"

Sam followed Frank and felt both terrified and paralyzed at the same time. He saw their future flash before him. All the firsts they never got to do together, and suddenly he hated this job more than anything in the world.

Rushing down the hall he found several officers waiting outside the emergency room. "Where is she? Where is my wife?", he yelled, as if his fellow officers would know anything about her condition.

Gail stepped forward, tear stains in her face, hands and uniform covered in blood. His wife's blood, he could only assume. "Swarek... you need to calm down okay?"

"Calm down? My wife was shot! And I don`t know if she`s even alive or not! Don`t tell me to calm down. You were her partner! Where the hell were you?"

"Swarek!", Frank called. " Officer Peck is not to blame for this and you know it. You need to calm down!"

The only thing that calmed Sam Swarek down then, was the doctor that approached them.

"Mr. Swarek?"

"Yes, that`s me! How is she? how is my wife?"

"Why don`t you come with me", he suggested.

"You have to tell me!", he broke.

"You`re wife was took a bullet to her lower thigh. She`s lost a lot of blood, and we thought it might have ruptured her femoral arteries, but luckily it didn`t. She`s in surgery, and I`m positive that she`ll make a full recovery. When`s she in observation, I`ll come get you so you can sit with her okay?"

Feeling like a ton of weight was just lifted off of his shoulders, he took one big breath. "Thank you! Thank you so much".

His wife was going to be okay.

It`s hours later, that he`s perched in a chair by her bed. He can`t pull the chair closer even if he wanted to. She looks so peaceful, his wife. His Andy. He wants' to kiss her all better, take her home and never let her out of his sight ever again.

His eyes is closed and he`s resting his head on the bed next to her sleeping body, when he feels her hand move and twitch. Looking up, he meets her big, brown beautiful, alive eyes.

"Hey", he whispers, afraid of hurting her by talking to loud. "How are you feeling?", he ask, massaging her hand lightly and stroking her arm.

She smiles too. "Like I've been shot I guess".

Sam takes a deep breath of relief. "I`m so glad you`re okay. You`re going to make a full recovery sweetheart".

"Good, that`s good. I`m really glad I woke up with you next to me", she whispers back.

"Wouldn`t want to be anywhere else", he smiles back.

Sam Swarek isn't going anywhere.