"As long as you got me
And I got you
You know we'll got a lot to go around
I'll be your friend
Your other brother
Another love to come and comfort you"

- Jason Mraz ("A Song For A Friend")

Stunned, Detective Don Flack slams the brakes in his company-issued SUV on the rain slicked street, causing the vehicle behind him to honk and throw a string of curses at him. He quickly throws the vehicle into park before he loses her. Frowning, Don exits his vehicle and makes a point to show his badge and gun hooked onto his belt at the person yelling at him, who immediately shuts up as they pass him. He shakes his head. Never a dull moment in the streets of the city he loves.

Don stops short when he steps onto the sidewalk, relieved that she did not go far. She smiles amusedly at him, though her eyes look weary and tired. She obviously heard his exchange. He chides her for not having an umbrella. She looks like a drowned rat. Or perhaps a cow was more her preference? She moos at him, causing him to chuckle. What the hell is she doing out here in this miserable weather? Taking a rain walk, she tells him innocently. Catching a cold is more like it, he scolds her as he ushers her into his SUV.

Lindsay slowly buckles herself into the front passenger seat. Don shakes his head at her as he climbs into the driver seat. You're nuts, Monroe, he tells her as he cranks up the heat for her. She smiles softly as her eyelids suddenly grow heavy from the warmth enveloping her. Within minutes, she is sleeping soundly as he weaves through traffic towards her apartment.

He glances over to her periodically during the ride. He grimaces at what he sees. Her face looks gaunt. Her drenched coat hangs loosely on her petite frame. In the last few weeks, he watched as her sunny disposition turned cloudy. Her loud appreciative laughter now turned into a small smile with no humor. He knows without a doubt what has caused this change in his friend. He wants to help her. He wants to be there for her. But he is not sure how.

He gently wakes her as he parks in front of the five story walk up. She invites him up, which he initially declines. But seeing the sadness on her face and weighing on her shoulders, he changes his mind. He realizes that this is his chance. She needs a friend. So he agrees.

They walk up the stairs in silence. She unlocks the door and encourages him to make himself comfortable while she changes into some dry clothes. He nods, making sure to leave his shoes by the door. He takes his coat off and drapes it over the back of a chair before roaming around the tiny dwelling. He glances at pictures in frames on the wall before settling down on her couch. She returns from the bedroom wearing a tank top and baggy sweatpants. Her hair is thrown into a haphazard ponytail. She plops down on the opposite end of the couch and smiles wanly at him.

Talk to me, he pleads to her.