I hope I didn't keep you haning to long! I had a hard time deciding what should happen. :P But enjoy! (And please keep reviewing) :)

The ambulance's sirens bombarded any and everyone in it's path. While those on the outside regarded it with mild annoyance, someone inside relied on it.

XXX

"Nigel?" A thin, weak voice barely penetrated the air. Her eyes were hardly open, the small slits only just visible. Nigel leaned in close, trying to stay calm. He had never heard her like that.

"Yes, luv?" He said softly.

"Why were you so worried?" She spoke slowly, tiredly. Nigel looked at her, completely caught off guard. What should he say? Because she was his friend? Because he was like that with everybody? Because... just because?

Or what about the truth? He chose his words carefully.

"Because... you mean a lot to me, Kate. And I... care about you." He looked down at her, searching her face for a response. She turned her head, looking into his eyes. Did he just say that? Did Nigel Townsend, the man who she had been trying to deny she had feelings for all this time, just say that? Then, from total impulse, she did something completely unexpected, something so out of place for that place and time, that a paramedic fell out of her seat.

Kate Switzer smiled. Amidst all of the pain and fear, Nigel could still make her smile.

XXX

7 hours later.

Dr. Sanches walked down the hall and stopped at the waiting room door. Sighing, she opened, upon which she was attacked with questions.

"How is she?!"

"Is she ok?!"

"How much damage did the bullet do?!"

"When can we see her?!"

She put her hands up, trying to calm the morgue family. She had to yell over them to be heard.

"I"LL TELL YOU IF YOU JUST BE QUIET!" They all promptly went silent. Dr. Sanches sighed and continued. "Thank you. I just got out of surgery and already have a headache and I don't need another one. Her injuries are severe, but we were able to stop the bleeding in time. The bullet ricocheted off the back of her rib, eventually piercing her lung. She's still unstable, and there's not much room for error, but if everything goes right, she should make a full recovery." They all breathed a sigh of relief, even if it was a bit labored. Nigel opened his mouth to ask a question, but closed it. Dr. Sanches saw it. She knew what he was going to ask. "You all can see her when she wakes up, ok?" They nodded. Dr. Sanches did a quick scan of the lobby and walked out.

"How long do think that'll be, Dr. M?" Nigel asked shyly. Garrett shrugged.

"Could be an hour or two. But it could vary." Garrett was catching on fast. He saw how Nigel had ran to meet Kate. He placed a hand on Nigel's shoulder. "She'll be fine, Nigel. Try to relax a little." Nigel gave a hollow grin and a short laugh. Yeah, like that was going to happen.

"So what should I tell Erica?" Lily butted in politely.

"She should know exactly what happened. She does know that we found Kate though, right?" Jordan asked seriously. This was going to hit Erica pretty hard, and they all knew it.

"Oh, of course! I told her as soon as we got here. But all I told her was that she was shot, not how serious it was. I guess I got a little nervous, I usually do this with dead people, not my friends."

"I'll go with you next time." Nigel offered. Lily smiled.

"Thanks, Nige." She paused before moving on. "When I talked to her, she was doing ok, but the stress and worry was just... eating away at her. It was horrible."

"Then she'll be glad to know that Kate's going to be fine." Said Woody.

"Yeah. From what you've told me Lily, she'd have been heartbroken if something worse had happened." Bug answered in a caring voice. The group talked for awhile, eventually moving back to their seats. Lily and Nigel left to see Erica, while Woody and Jordan went home for a few hours of sleep. That left Garrett, alone again. But then a familiar voice came from behind him.

"You're getting too old for this, Garrett." He turned, startled. Renee was standing a few yards away, a faint smile on her face, and looking like she had been watching for awhile. He answered back almost playfully.

"Yeah, well, I don't have much of a choice, do I?" She walked over and sat down next to him.

"What I think you should do is keep GPS units on all of them." He laughed at that.

"That would certainly make things quicker, huh?"

"Although something tells me that they would find a way to get lost anyway." He laughed again.

"Yeah. Especially Jordan."

"Especially Jordan." They both chuckled. He turned to her.

"Thanks for coming." She blushed a little.

"Anytime."

XXX

A sweet older nurse stuck her head in the room.

"Miss Erica? You have visitors!" Erica brought her gaze from the book she was reading. She had convinced a nurse to bring her one, anything to get her mind off of the whole ordeal. She smiled when she saw the familiar faces.

"Nigel! Lily!"

"Hey, how're you doing?" Lily asked. Erica just motioned to all the machines around her.

"As good as I'm expected to be, I guess."

"That's good. But we you should know exactly how serious the situation is." Erica became worried. She didn't like the looks on their faces. So she spoke hesitantly.

"Ok." Nigel sighed.

"I guess I should start from the beginning..."