A/N Heading in to the home stretch with this one. Thanks again so very much for reading and for your lovely comments-so kind of you! :-)

After roll call, Jamie headed to St. Vince's to see Eddie, who had been retained overnight for observation. He was grateful and relieved she was okay. He was also ready to make a decision about the promotion the sergeant had offered him. He knew he couldn't accept an assignment that meant Eddie would report to him but he knew there would be other opportunities. They needed to make a decision about the personal side of their partnership, but he wasn't sure what that would be. For now, he would stay put.

He stepped off the elevator of the fourth floor carrying two cups of coffee and immediately saw Sergeant Renzulli walking out of Eddie's room. He admired that the sergeant kept a personal connection with the precinct. "Hey, sarge. I guess great minds think alike."

Renzulli sized up Jamie, always suspicious of his partnership with Janko but trusted Jamie's input that it remained professional. "Hi, Harvard. When one of my officers is in the hospital I want to be front and center. The doc says she's gonna be alright—just needs to take it easy for a few days. And her room looks like a friggin florist. Some shmo sent her a bushel of pink roses. Must have spent five hundred bucks. Can you imagine that?"

Jamie chuckled self consciously wondering if the question had ulterior motives. "Is that right?"

"Yeah. Got any ideas who might have sent those?"

He shrugged. "She's been seeing some guy named, Bob. Must have been him." He took a sip from one of the coffees wanting to change the subject. "Hey, boss, if you have a second I'd like to give you my answer about the promotion you mentioned last week."

"Before we get to that, Reagan, I need to let you know that I didn't just come here on a social call. Officer Janko asked me to come. She's requesting a transfer to the Two Four."

Jamie felt stunned. "What? Why?"

"She said she loved being a part of the twelfth, and working with you, but for career purposes she thinks the Two Four might have more opportunity for growth because it's larger, which it is. It will also reduce her commute. Were you aware of any of this?"

Jamie shook his head, already making sense of Eddie's request and feeling guilty. He hadn't intended for any of this when he confided in her about the promotion. "No. She never mentioned it."

"I told her to fill out the paperwork and we can coordinate it within the next couple of weeks." Renzulli looked at his watch. "I gotta get back." He looked at Jamie, hopeful for him to accept the sergeant slot at the twelfth. "Did you say you had an answer for me about the promotion?"

He swallowed, unsure of which direction to take without talking with Eddie considering the news about her transfer request. "Yeah, I was wondering if I can stop in after tour today, if that's okay with you? We can talk about it then."

Renzulli tapped Jamie's arm with his cap. "Sure, Reagan. Just drop in. And I hope you have good news for me."

~~00~~00~~

Eddie lay on her side, looking at the vase of pink roses on the night table. She counted twenty four roses, all a beautiful shade of pale pink. Next to it the rose from the hotel was perched in a glass, it's petals beginning to wilt, but she didn't care—it's beauty was still evident to her. Her memory of the events the day before were fuzzy, but she remembered Jamie rescuing her from the trunk and that Roger was arrested. The ride in the ambulance was also hazy, but she had a vague memory of telling Jamie she loved him. She put a hand over her face at the thought. A soft knock on the door pulled her back to the day at hand. "Yes?"

"Hey, Eddie it's me."

"Come on in." She said pushing herself up in bed. She was happy to see Jamie and even happier to see an extra coffee in his hands. "I hope one of those is what I think it is."

He held it out to her and smiled. "A Guatemalan with a cream and two sweeteners." He was glad to see her smiling and that the color had returned to her eyes and cheeks.

She took a sip and hummed. "Mmmmm….delicious. Thank you." She looked at him from under her lashes as her lips poised on the edge of the cup. "And thank you for the roses, Jamie. They're so beautiful but you shouldn't have done it. I couldn't believe it when they arrived." Her expression beamed with gratitude. "No one's ever sent me roses like this before!"

He wasn't used to making affectionate gestures to her. It felt new and good and awkward. "Well, you know, I just thought the hospital room is a big come down from the room at the Plaza, so I thought those might cheer you up." He reached down and touched his hand to her arm. "Roger is being arraigned and the Feds have an open and shut case against him now, thanks to you."

"I just hope some of those other women are found. What about the money?"

"It turns out the off shore account in Green's name was set up by Roger, so Eric didn't know anything about it." He fidgeted with his coffee needing to ask her about the transfer. "I bumped in to Renzulli down the hall."

"Oh?" She said, diverting her attention down to her coffee cup.

"Yeah. He said you requested a transfer over to the twenty fourth." His eyes searched her face. "What's going on?"

She took one of his hands in hers. "I don't want you to turn down that promotion because of me."

"It's not just due to you. I've worked with the other cops at the twelfth for almost six years. That affects this decision, too."

"And, now you have one less to think about. It's okay—it's a good thing, Reagan. And those other cops respect the hell out of you. You're made for that promotion." She smiled up at him. "One of us was going to transfer, anyway. Besides, the Two Four is bigger and there might be more opportunities for me, too. Plus it's closer to my place. It's okay, Jamie," she said reassuringly, "I want this, really. It was my first precinct choice out of the academy—did you know that?"

"You never mentioned it." He gently squeezed her hand.

"Well, it turns out luck was on my side. There weren't any posts at the Two Four back then, so I got stuck with you. And here we are." She smiled and tugged his fingers playfully.

"Yeah, here we are." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then her lips, lingering and enjoying the intimate bond and warmth of her touch as their entwined fingers tenderly slid back and forth, caressing each others hand. She had told him she loved him in the ambulance, and now her actions said it again and he was grateful for both. He smiled at her, remembering what his father had told him after he and Sydney ended their engagement: keep trusting your gut—it serves you well.

He was right.

A/N One more chapter to go! :-)